Rising Against the Tide
by ABeautifulBreakdown
Summary: POST TROS Rey and Ben find themselves back amongst the resistance struggling against his past actions and her friends views of Ren the two must fight for his redemption. Rating has changed with newest chapter!
1. Chapter 1

I wrote the end of this before I wrote the beginning so Im struggling a little with how it flows. This is my take on how things went post TROS, please let me know what you think, there is more to come I'm just ironing out the kinks. Im trying to keep them close to character nd really love using Chewbacca so you will see lots more of him. Cheers Lovelies xo

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The sky was awash with hazy blue light like a water color saturated and opaque. Beyond the horizon of the hulking sith strong hold, light danced across the edge of the world. Over head their fleets ships and cruisers did their final laps. Massive star destroyers careened into one another tumbling from the sky. Metal, heavy and broken fell to the earth like comets trailed by tails of billowing smoke and debris. Lightening ceased as the atmosphere filled with rising plumes of ash and flame. The battle of Exegol had left its mark upon them all, Palpatine was no more, the Final Order nothing more then the dream of bigots and zealots. Still there was the matter of surviving.

The earth shook with a tremendous might, like sleeping giants waking as what was once a great enemy found itself littered in pieces on the desolate planet. It took them some time to find their way out of the Sith temple. Remnants of worshipers littered the ground as once tall and proud statues lie in waste. What was once a seat of great dark power now lie beneath the rubble of a once fierce empire. Clinging to one another Rey and Ben rose on the platform from deep within the earth. Their bodies bruised and bloody, their souls battle weary, they hung onto one another as though their lives depended on it. Ben walked with a limp, Rey was a little better for ware but weakened and unable to help heal him. He clutched his side as she too found her hand pressed against the strong flank, her presence one of support and care.

Ben had saved her life, he had come to her aid and stood against the darkness just as her vision had foretold. And, had almost lost his life in the process but the details on that were too surreal to dwell upon and they needed to get off of this planet. The air screamed with terrifying fury as enemy ships tore apart across the sky.

"We need to get out of here," she breathed heavily against him, looking around their crumbling scenery. Ben stumbled and Rey panicked, looping beneath him to use more of her body mass in order to hold him still. He was large and he was hurt. His form loomed over her like a shadow, broken but oddly at peace. She felt as the force sung around him in a lilting hum.

"You need to leave me here," he gritted out through clenched teeth, his forehead was damp with sweat and caked in dirt. He'd worked so hard, he'd come so far and his body just wanted to rest.

She could feel the pull through the force realizing his peaceful contentment was one of acceptance. He was ready to die, he had been prepared to die and then somehow she had pulled him back. "No… I won't," Rey said with forceful determination as she steadied him and found their ships. He had landed close to her thankfully so the journey wouldn't be a long one. They both however had flown in single pilot cruisers making their escape a little more tricky. "I need you to do something for me," She said as she helped him to the ground next to her x wing, leaning him precariously against one of the landing struts.

He was looking at her, brows furrowed and curious as she desperately groped against his shirt, holding him up. His hand, a shaking mass flecked with blood and dirt came to grasp her arm as Ben awarded her with a sharp nod encouraging her to continue. Breathing hard Rey cast a glance around them, the remnants of a plan beginning as she finally cast her eyes skywards. They didn't have long now, every second mattered, "I need you to live," she rushed out breathlessly, surprising a sob as tears welled against the corners of her dark luminous eyes.

Ben's gaze softened and he smiled at her tenderly, "Ok," was all he said but punctuated it with a sharp nod, awaiting her instructions. Instead, in a quick action charged with more emotion then Rey was able to process at the moment, she pressed her lips against his firmly.

"Ben," she whispered against his flesh, rocking her forehead against his. Their noses feathered against one another, as though neither could bare to be apart much more then a breath. Her force energy swallowed him whole as she allowed her life and light to radiate into him, not giving him of herself but sharing her need for life. "You're going to take the X wing, follow the coorindates back to Ajan Kloss it's where our base has been. I'm going to follow along in the TIE."

He eyed her apprehensively, she could see the doubt rolling off him in waves. He didn't think this was a good idea and was about to voice his concern when Rey cut him off, "I know, it's dangerous," the ground gave a terrible shake as in the distance wells of dust and debris puffed out in clouds. Another large collision, and there were only more coming. "We don't have a choice, where else could we go?"

Ben smiled coyly, "Anywhere…"

He was of course correct but she owed it to her friends to return and she had to hope…  
"I'll offer my immediate surrender," he said nodding, his back shifting awkwardly against the x wings struts.

Rey was shaking her head furiously, gasping at the air in attempt to find mental purchase. "No… they'll execute you on the spot." she cried frantically. Her eyes jumped from side to side, staring off at the ground with unseeing eyes. She searched for the answers in the force but soon came to the same conclusion he had.

His hand coming to touch her cheek lightly he brought his lips to hers in another quick kiss. It felt like brushing your skin against a flower petal, soft and round, distracting Rey for the moment from the desperation of their situation. As he pulled back he allowed his fingertips to trace a line along her flesh, as though memorizing the way she felt. "You won't let them," he said with finality.

Rey nodded and helped him to his feet They had defeated Palpatine, how hard could it be to win over a bunch of resistance fighters riding on the high of victory. With steadied resilience Rey pulled Ben to his feet watching as he moved to hoist himself into the cockpit of the x wing. His body strained beneath the effort of his movements but he moved without complaint. Settling into the machine he flicked at a few buttons here and there finding himself at surprising ease within the aged metal framework. As the thrusters flared to life Rey maneuvered quickly over to Ben's TIE and set to work. She loathed the way the rounded cockpit felt in comparison to the sleek x wings navigational control but pushed passed it and in no time the two found themselves exiting the planets atmosphere. Rey reached out through the force and was met with Ben's mottled fear and anxiety. She was going to protect him, she owed him that and so much more.

As they entered the Cademimu sector they were met by an endless black spread littered with a vast assortment of ships. Rey hastily set to transmitting Luke's old Red Five code in an attempt to deter the resistance ships from blowing her from the sky. She watched as Ben pulled back on the x wings throttle and waited for the hulking form of her TIE to scream passed. The ships signature whine roared around her as she guided the ship into the atmosphere of Ajan Kloss and started their descent. Ben was a ragged ball of nerves and in desperate need of rest and a med pack. Rey personally couldn't wait to lay down on her bunk and sleep. First however she needed to make sure her resistance friends didn't try and execute her new found ally.

Ben followed close behind as she brought her TIE fighter to the outskirts of the resistance base where fewer ships had congregated. She could see the soldiers milling about below as they stopped their celebration to watch in apprehensive terror as she navigated the TIE to land. Behind her Ben took a swooping arc with the x wing and landed at her rear.

Bodies pressed together as they approached the two star ships arriving late to the party. There was no one Rey really recognized, a handful of x wing pilots, a few y wing aces and some shuttle runners but anyone she needed to talk to would be closer to the centre of the celebration. She launched herself from the TIE, landing on the ground with sure feet. Around her looks of realization dawned on faces as a rousing cheer erupted from the crowd. This was a good sign, she thought. No one seemed to pay too much attention to the pilot of the x wing. Instead they rallied around her, their voices and praise falling on dumb ears as she turned in a slow loop looking for her friends.

"Commander Dameron?" she called over the voices, holding a hand to her ear in order to muffle their cries. Few seemed to hear her instead taking the time to celebrate a long over due victory but Rey's fight was far from over.

One female y wing pilot pointed over Rey's shoulder with a nod in the direction of command. Beyond the heads of pilots and the trees she could see the Millennium Falcon. That meant Chewie and Lando and more then likely meant Finn and Poe as well. Without realizing it Rey found herself smiling warmly at the thought of being reunited with her friends.

Voices collided all around her as some broke out into song. Others embraced through joy and tears, their arms wrapped around one another and amidst it all she realized someone was talking to her. A tall wire-y pilot approached her pointing to the x wing at her back. He held his helmet in one hand and was nodding towards the x wings dark haired pilot. As Rey turned looking between the new comer and Ben she smiled maybe a little too brightly. "Who's that?" He called over the din and Rey swallowed hard, "No disrespect meant Miss," the pilot continued, he had an accent that Rey couldn't quite place. "I thought, I should say we were told that you were leading us to Exegol, there was no mention of another pilot."

Rey cursed the young mans astute capability to listen to orders and pursed her lips, "He's…" she began but the words faltered on her lips. How did she go about explaining this?Would they even know what Kylo Ren looked like under his mask? "We fought Palpatine together," she said looking to the ground, her mind awash with options before she turned and waved Ben forward.

The cockpit of the x wing slid open and Rey watched as Ben extricated himself. He landed much less smoothly, his knees buckling as his feet hit the earth. Rey winced as she shot forward looping her shoulder beneath his in order to help stabilize his footing. Ben gave her a weak smile and pressed his hand to his side, his energy flickering along the force in waves of exhaustion. A hand pressed to his chest, as the other held firmly at his back she gave him an encouraging nod and the two set off. Those in celebration all around them stopped their whoops and cheers and opted for silent observation instead. Whispers cut through the air like a vibro tech blade, following them with every step they took. Rey listened carefully for any indication of trouble but most seemed hooked on one name alone, Palpatine.

Moving through a sea of soldiers with an injured man who dwarfed your petite stature was much more difficult then Rey had anticipated. One of Ben's feet drug against the dirt every now and again causing him to stumble forward. The lurching motion caused Rey to stop and hold her footing, focusing on the force all around her to prevent them from falling. She half wondered if it wouldn't be easier to find a make shift gurney or sled to pull him on but a deep rooted part of her couldn't bare the thought of separating from his side.

Ben seemed to pick up on the thought, his chest rumbling beneath her hand in what sounded like a chuckle. It was a pleasant sound but stopped abruptly and was replaced with a groan of irritation masked with a smile.

As they drew closer to the Millennium Falcon Rey stopped. They were moving amongst a crowd of happy revilers content to ignore their existence in favour of a good time but soon reality was going to come crashing down around them. "No turning back," Ben said with a tone of cool irony as he bounced on his 'good' foot a moment in order to find some stable purchase. He was attempting it seemed to be supportive but Rey was now beginning to feel a state of panic take hold. She reeled against her self assurance, they should have left, they should have found somewhere safe to lie low. "They would have thought I'd kidnapped you and come after us either way," Ben stated in a low hum.

Rey awarded him a kind smile and secured her resolve before, on sure footing she carried them the rest of the way. She could hear them before she saw them. Finn was laughing loudly as Chewie's bellowing bark rang out over head. The wookie was showing something off to C3P0 and R2-D2. The smaller droid, rocking back and forth on stilted legs as 3P0's lilting tone admonished his smaller friend kindly. Chewie on the other hand chuffed happily patting the golden droid on the shoulder before he turned and was suddenly facing Rey.

A painful moment passed and Ben tensed at her side. Immediately Rey knew this wasn't going to go anyway like how she expected it. Chewie let loose a wild furious bark, his head thrown back, teeth bared as he advanced upon them. He was growling and yipping like Rey had never experienced before, the sounds coming out far too quickly for her to interpret properly. The noise gained Poe and Finn's attention as well as the rest of the company as Rey stumbled back pulling a helpless Ben with her. Her hand thrown out in surrender she called to her friend, "Chewie, Chewie stop!"

Chewie, torn between aggressive assault and complete disbelief waved his arms around frantically pointing at Ben and then back to the base, snarling and chuffing as he did so. His towering height alone made him an intimidating opponent but now on the other end of Chewie's rage Rey felt the pin pricks of tears threaten.

All around her voices mounted, Finn and Poe were hollering and gesticulating in her direction yet all she could do was hold tight to Ben. The force around them bucked and roared, throwing itself in a torrent of fear and disbelief. It was swallowing her whole as she shook her head, eyes wide and darkened by tears. She had never felt so happy and yet utterly distraught at the same time. Her worry mounting as Poe drew his blaster pistol and Finn stood sentinel at his side. Other soldiers seemed to take Poe's lead drawing their own weapons and training them on Ben with confused and apprehensive glances shared.

"STOP," Rey finally cried, Ben's footing slipped and in a moment of sheer panic they went down together colliding with the earth beneath their feet. "Enough, just stop it," she sobbed loudly.

Ben let out a huff of soft air as he teetered forward only to be pulled back by strong female hands. She could feel his mind addled with a mix of pain and fear as she reached out along their bond in attempt at consoling his bucking rage. Instead however it seemed his force signature wound around her own, calming the fury she didn't realize was bubbling over. A hand still at his chest she peered up at him a moment, finding within his stoic face the resolve she needed to stand and fight.

"Lower your weapons," she called, finding strength in her voice she didn't think she had left. "Now! Lower your weapons Now!"

Poe and Finn shared a look of disbelief as Chewie chuffed at her sadly, his head nodding with a punctuated cry.

"I know Chewie… I know," she cried her voice soft but not weak, "But its far more complicated then that."

The wookie watched her in disbelief before dropping to his knees in front of them. He looked first directly into Rey's eyes, his own lined with dark fir but alight with something akin to pleading warmth. When you were this close to him, Chewbacca's eyes were the brightest of blue. His fur a myriad of browns all sweeping back aways from his broad nose. He growled softly, a long rolling sound before he turned to look directly into Ben's face. She could feel him flinch as Chewbacca peered down at him, his head cocking from side to side, his proximity quite intrusive. Still Ben watched back, his brown eyes soft, marred by pain and mottled with anxiety and fear. Rey found herself watching as Chewie sniffed the air between them and chuffed softly. "No, there's not, you're right," Rey said in quieted happiness, relief washing over her as Chewie reached out a tentative paw and rubbed a knuckle against Ben's cheek. It was a action that took everyone by surprise as the wookie rocked back onto his feet and turned to Poe with a chattering growl. He threw his head back and chuffed to the air, leaning in to help Rey hold Ben up and steady. "I know… It will take a lot of time," she agreed but couldn't suppress the happiness that welled from within. Chewie had recognized the light in Ben's soul, he wasn't about to accept the young Solo but he wasn't going to rip him limb from limb either.

"What is happening here?" Poe demanded harshly, his blaster still drawn, finger hovering precariously over the trigger. His warm features were harsh, brown furrowed and hostile as he looked over Rey, then Ben and then finally Chewbacca. "He should be dead…" he said pointing the gun to Ben in a careless fashion.

Finn stood with his arms crossed watching Rey closely as if he were trying to read her, "He tried to kill you, us… all of us." Finn bit out in utter disbelief, waiting for some form of explanation, anything at all.

It was Finn's gaze that shook her heaviest, they had always come at situations together. He beyond anyone else was always a level of support and now he was looking at her as though he didn't really know who she was anymore. "Finn please…" she pleaded, focusing her gaze solely upon her dearest human friend.

"Ohhhh no no," Poe cried before Finn had a chance to respond, "No, this isn't a Finn please situation. We just fought the biggest battle of our lives and you've strolled in with the enemy in toe."

"Did he surrender to you?" Finn asked hopefully.

Ben as quiet, a fact for which Rey was immensely grateful for, "No… he destroyed the Knights of Ren and stood against Palpatine at my side." She offered by way of explanation but when it didn't seem to help she pushed, "He saved my life."

Poe's expression never faulted, Finn on the other hand looked oddly pensive but chose to keep his mouth shut. It was Ben who broke the stalemate. She felt him slip back onto his knees raising his arms with immense difficulty so that his hands rest against the back of his head. "I'll surrender,"

Rey groaned, Chewbacca growled and Poe looked incredibly smug. He kept his blaster trained on Ben but nodded his head to Finn, "Finn buddy, get those cuffs from my x wing before our Supreme Leader here changes his mind. Chewie don't let him move,"

Quickly Rey dropped to her knees sliding in front of him. Ben looked tired and worn, but completely resigned in his decision. He gave her a small knowing smile which he may have meant to be reassuring. It struck a cord within cracking open the damn she had walled off her emotions behind. Tears leaked in a steady stream down and over her cheeks as Finn came to her cuffs in hand.

"It'll be ok," Ben said softly, barely loud enough for the others to hear. He spoke with such finite sincerity that Rey had to bite back a sob. He understood their situation better then she and so was willing to give in in order to grant them any possibility of a future. "I'll be ok," his words this time seemed shaken yet still he offered her a faint smile.

Rey's hands found his face, sweeping over and over as though committing every last inch of it to memory. Down his cheek, back through his hair, across his forehead. Tender fingers trailed feather light kisses across his skin before they found their home around his neck. When she hugged him tight and dear, she could hear Finn and Poe shifting cautiously. Chewie called softly, long and keening as Finn handed him the cuffs. Still Rey paid them no mind, her chest crashed against Ben's and held there intently before she pulled back and pressed a soft kiss to her battered lips. His lips met her's instinctively, head arched into the motion savouring the feel of her.

Poe and Finn both cried loudly in objection but Rey simply slid back, her forehead pressed against his. They spoke without words, their force energy rolling in waves around one another. Like the ebb and flow of a smooth surf it shifted and coursed between them. Chewbacca grumbled and Rey drew back. "Be gentle Chewie, he's hurt." she said with a slight sniffle, turning to face her friends with newly steeled resolve. "He will be treated fairly." When Poe opened his mouth to argue Rey stated again, much more firmly, "He WILL be treated fairly,"

Finn placed a hand on Poe's arm as the General lowered his weapon. The centuries around them shifted uncomfortably but seemed ok with the idea that the wookie could handle his prisoner. "We don't really have facilities to house him, we'll have to take him to one of the free worlds." Poe stated absentmindedly. This clearly hadn't been on his list of things they might have to deal with. "We'll need to convene a temporary senate he'll get a trail."

"Poe I would be dead if it weren't for Ben," Rey pushed but her friend wasn't having it. He had shifted from Poe Dameron pilot and friend to Poe Dameron resistance General. He seemed to ignore her, turning around to issue a few orders here and there. Pilots and soldiers a like scrambled away from them muttering their acceptance of acknowledgement and suddenly the ground was a buzz with action. "Poe…" Rey pleaded.

Her friend wheeled around on her faster then she was prepared for. His eyes were dark and furious. Heavy beneath an emotion Rey couldn't quite pinpoint. He pointed a finger at her aggressively as though prepared to erupt into a tirade but stalled. He took in a steady breath and shook his head ever so slightly before he threw his arms around her in a tight embrace. Finn took that moment to follow suit and the two men embraced her warmly. "I'm glad you're safe," Poe said into Rey's shoulder, pulling back so that the three stood with their arms looped on one another shoulders, "I am. This is all just…" he looked to Chewbacca who was standing with Ben, his hands now bound together, "The Falcon maybe Chewie?"

The wookie nodded and escorted Ben towards the large freighter, "He needs food, and a med pack and rest…" Rey made to argue.

"Don't we all," Finn muttered sardonically.

"Got that Chewie?" Poe called. It was as much as Poe was willing to give, but it was something. Chewie answered by way of grumbling barks as he tugged Ben along. Rey watched as he disappeared into the ship. He was alive, that was what mattered. She could handle everything else as it came at them but now, most importantly he was alive.


	2. Chapter 2

I was going to make this longer and then it was starting to run on and get repetitive so I cropped it up. I really wanted to have an interaction between these two and Im quite glad I kept it this way. Hope you enjoy darlings xo

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The Falcon wasn't intended to hold prisoners, it had no cell block or brig it was merely a YT class freighter. A heavily modified freighter but a freighter all the same. What then, was Chewie to do with a prisoner?

Poe was like this, make snap decisions on the fly and hope for the best. He was a good soldier and a brilliant pilot, one of the best Chewbacca had seen in fact but he wasn't a seasoned general. He wasn't Leia. In fact, he was much more like Han. That thought brought with it a pang of heart break as he marched Ben back and along the corridors of the Falcon in surprising silence. He had expected some fight, maybe a quick comment or snipe but Ben was silent as the grave. He did his best to stay on his feet, stumbling every now and again on what looked to be an injured leg. Still he said nothing, he walked ahead by no more then a pace following Chewbacca's nudges here and there.

The main hold and forward hold were out, there was no way to secure those rooms. Hold number two held the life support systems and Chewie wasn't sure he trusted Ben not to get spiteful. That left the third hold off the engineering bay. It honestly wasn't ideal either, a quick shot to their engines or escape pods but it was the only room that could be shut off from the rest with any surety. Ben seemed to be aware of this fact too as he turned into the engineering bay without prompting and moved towards the hold in question. He pulled away from the Chewie on unstable footing as he entered the large vacant room. It was filled with heavy looking metal crates scattered agains the far wall. They were stacked neatly in rows of two, empty now but ready to be filled if the need ever arose.

Chewbacca watched as Ben took in the scene before him. His shoulders held a hard line, hair a mess falling in loose sweeping waves that landed around the nape of his neck. He wasn't wearing the rigid uniform of the Supreme Leader but a simple pair of thick knit pants and black shirt. It wasn't familiar but it wasn't unfamiliar either. He seemed oddly contemplative as he gazed around the room idly, his hands held awkwardly in front of his body still in their cuffs. As he turned he cast a sad smile in Chewbacca's direction.

Chewie had been standing with his bowcaster held loosely at his side. It wasn't meant as a threat, the weapon was rarely far from his side. With a slight inclination of his head Ben spoke, "Planning on using that on me Chewie?"

The familiar moniker was hard to hear coming from Ben's mouth, the mouth of Kylo Ren. Try as he might to ignore the painful tugging in his chest Chewbacca let out a wild roar that rolled through the air dipping into several different tones like whining barks. He turned to place the bowcaster down then stood before Ben with his arms open wide.

"Sorry…" he sounded almost, sincere? "You've always been that to me, but you're right, we aren't on those terms." Ben leaned back against a set of crates taking the weight off his leg a bit as they relaxed into an awkward silence.

Not willing to leave Ben alone on the Falcon Chewie cast a glance over his shoulder hoping they would be joined sooner rather then later. It was hard for him to stand here looking at the man who had killed his best friend. The feelings were so complicated and confusing they were physically painful. On one hand this was the boy who would often ride around on Chewbacca's shoulders terrorizing the droids who worked in the Solo-Organa house hold on Corellia. On the other, he was the man responsible for some of the galaxy's most heinous atrocities. How that kind little boy who was scared of the dark and would fall asleep snuggled against Chewie's chest had turned into this soulless shell of a man, he could never fathom.

But, he wasn't soulless was he?

Leia had preyed for the good in him, Han had believed in the good in him, Rey had found the good in him. Ben's dark eyes cast upon the floor looked deep and pensive. He wasn't playing games, he wasn't trying to talk his way out of this he had simply accepted his position and was awaiting what came next. It was odd to watch. Cocking his head from side to side Chewbacca chuffed and chattered lightly.

Ben smiled albeit sadly and nodded a little, "Yeah, she saved my life,"

Letting a low purr roll from his throat Chewbacca chuffed sadly. A question on the air that seemed to rattle Ben and Chewie felt oddly ok making his young captive feel a little uncomfortable.

"You remember things a lot differently then I do," came the quiet response but the answer only served to enrage Chewie further. He waved his arms around, scrunching his nose as he barked and yipped, his speech coming out in punctuated whines. "You may have known him longer Chewbacca but he was my father."

It was hard to hear anything negative about his now passed partner in crime. Chewie had cared for Han Solo in a way that could only be described as familial. They had been through so much together, fought along side one another. Shared in triumphs and losses like brothers. This young whelp was more family then Chewbacca cared to admit but that made the betrayal sting all the more.

"Do you remember when you took me back to your home on Kashyyyk?" Ben asked suddenly, he was allowing his legs to slide out from under him now. His back gliding down along the crates he was using as support. Long legs stretched out before him he sat with his head rocked back against his shoulders. Closing his eyes Ben continued on in a tone Chewbacca noted sounded like deep fondness, "You took me hunting with Waroo, taught me how to build a spear, taught my how to listen to the forest. It was my first real lesson in force wielding, not that that was your intent," Ben smiled grimly, "I was terrified, maybe five years old but you were this unyielding mass at my back the entire time."

Chattering Chewbacca recalled the memory fondly. As a child Ben was always tagging along, always asking questions and eager to learn. He was a bright child born to parents who were often too busy. Han Solo and Leia Organa may have been dear friends but even his friends had their faults.

"Yeah, exactly!" with a serge of excitement Ben laughed, "You never let me quit and thank the Force for that. I remember that bird, what was it called?"

Chewie chuffed and purred, a sound that almost came out like laughter, "Yes! the shyyyo. It was massive and I was determined I was going to get to pet it."

Shaking his massive head Chewie barked once, quick and short.

"How was I to know that?" Ben cried, his tone warming some as they chatted, "I thought it was a destiny thing, the son of the great Han Solo," Chewie flinched slightly but Ben continued, "And here was this massive bird approaching me turns out I'd disturbed that wyyyschokks web and was in severe danger of being eaten."

Chewie laughed, a roaring purr of a noise which drew Ben's attention his way. When the young mans dark eyes met Chewie's there was something there which oddly resembled regret. Pushing passed Ben's gaze and what it might imply Chewie growled long and low yipping a few times.  
"You had no idea where I went," he accused, Chewbacca responded with a wide mouthed stare and a series of quick growling yips. "You did not, Waroo found me, we watched as the shyyyo attacked the wyyyschokk," Chewie warbled and whined, "Yes I was terrified and when I told my father about the adventure he didn't even care."

Chewie did not remember that part. Han was busy back then, they all were it was a hectic time but he never remembered Han dismissing his son the way Ben told it. His words however weren't littered with the bitterness Chewbacca had expected. Instead he spoke in the matter of fact way one states that they are going to have mykal for a snack. That vein of dark contempt was gone leaving the broken soul of a man in search of redemption. Growling deeply, the sound altering in pitch a little before he growled again and then chuffed. Ben's eyes were on him in an instant. He let his head fall back to a line of neutral, his brows quirked in a question.

"I don't remember that…" he said slowly so Chewbacca pressed forward with a growl, "I must have been young,"

With a nod and a chuff Chewie looked to Ben imploringly. He needed to see the good in his upbringing came from more then just his relationship with the wookiee.

"Lando… I remember Lando. Dad was always gruff and hard to read. It always felt like he was missing out on something or had something bigger on the agenda…" Ben's fingers toyed at the hem of his shirt as he thought long and hard, "You mean…"

Chewie simply nodded.

"He didn't want me to have to fight…" as the realization dawned on Ben, Chewie called out with a soft growl and moved to peer down the hallway. Footsteps carried down along the corridor as a pair of arguing voices made their way towards the third cargo hold. Chewie could make out Rey's light voice sharp and argumentative as it verbally assaulted one of her male companions. Ben too seemed to pick up on her presence, adjusting his seat so that he sat just a little taller.

They came bustling into the engineering bay a whirlwind of argument and irritation. Rey was accusing Poe and Finn of bigotry while Finn called Rey stubborn and Poe exclaimed something irritatingly. It was like watching siblings fight the way Poe and Finn picked at Rey. He had no fear for her well being though, she was more then a match for Poe and his wild accusations. With a glance back at Ben Chewbacca observed the way his dark eyes followed Rey's every move. He was trained on her completely, no one else in the room existed for him. It was a strange site to behold, the boy so filled with dark and malice that he could kill his own father cared in a deep capacity for the young scavenger from Jakku.

Chewie growled and hummed in a low tone as he nodded his head faintly towards Rey. She didn't seem to notice, too busy in her argument with Poe but when Chewie looked to Ben he knew his point had hit its mark.

"More then I think I ever have," Ben responded and Chewie purred in understanding.


	3. Chapter 3

_So, I attached my own idea of spirituality and dark vs light on the force. I know it's not quite as the Star Wars verse explains it but I took a risk. In life it's all about balance, it's a constant and so I tried to apply that here. I kind of feel like nothing happened in this chapter and things are progressing slowly, I apologize, I sat down to write something and something completely different came out. Anyway darlings, let me know what you think, I love any and all input. You're all fantastic xo_

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After a lot of arguing and a rather explosive outburst from Chewie everyone found themselves in a tense sort of stalemate. The base was a buzz with the news that Kylo Ren had been captured, and those brave enough made excuses to board the Falcon to see for themselves. Poe was furious, Finn flabbergasted but Rey chose to ignore her friends in favour of her own moral compass. She knew in her heart what was right and wasn't prepared to sacrifice Ben's freedom for their comfort. She had argued that a bed be made in the large cargo hold, that Ben be allowed food and have his wounds tended to. Thanks to Chewie's stoic presence her requests were met with petulant acquiescence but they were met all the same.

Instead of a solid metal door, Poe had rigged up electro fencing in the holds doorway so that Ben could be monitored. He didn't like the idea of not being able to see a man he didn't trust. Rey was oddly ok with the humming and pulsing make shift prison bars. She even pulled a mattress into the Engineering Bay much to Poe and Finn's distaste.

"You can't sleep on the floor," Finn had argued when he found Rey dragging the beaten mattress down the Falcon corridor. He was concerned, it hummed around him like a song but she knew he wouldn't fight her long.

Rey sighed as she pulled, the mattress getting caught on the door. She looked to Finn pointedly and without thought he picked up the other end and maneuvered it passed it's … "I lived in an old At-At most of my life Finn, the floor of the engineering bay is paradise compared to that."

As predicted the argument ended there, Finn effectively clamming up the minute Ben came within ear shot. He had left her then to push the mattress over close to the doorway and that was where she remained. Her body dogged with exhaustion ached from head to toe as she lie there on her lumpy mattress, cheek pressed into the cool surface. Across from her, behind a wall of vibrating muted electricity Ben lie in a mirrored position of her own. His pale skin looked awash with starlight behind the hazy blue but he looked healthier. His fat lip was gone, his bruising reduced greatly, only his eyes told the tale of his bodies hardship. As Rey watched him she felt as he reached out through the force for her. His energy running a ripple along her body in a wave of curious care. She closed her eyes as it washed over her letting her know he was alright, that he was grateful. She smiled softly as she wound her own energy around it, through it and the melding energies sang in a wild vibration that jittered through the ship. Crates trembled against the floor as Rey's staff bounced lightly against the wall before clattering to the ground.

They lie and stared, their force energy crashing and swirling around one another. Through the force their emotions sang, a mounting crescendo of need, want, desire, compassion, fear and steady growing affection. They spoke without words, the vibrating growing in intensity. The crates jittered across the floor slowly, banging into one another and the walls behind them. Focusing solely upon one another they raised a hand in unison their fingers creeping in a gentle arc towards one another.

"What is this?" a voice called through the rapturous song annoyed and aggressive, "What are you… Don't do that!" Poe's words echoed all around her as he dropped to her side and groped for her shoulder pulling Rey back and away from electro fencing. He was pulling her into a seated position with surprising ease giving her a slight shake as he did so. The world around her rumbled and vibrated, the quaking shudder of a release. The Falcon groaned around them and Rey's eyes slowly drew back into focus.  
Ben was sitting up from his position on the floor groggy and confused. When he saw the way Poe held Rey his emotions bucked and raged through the force still connecting them causing Rey to visibly flinch. Upon realizing what was happening Ben cursed beneath his breath and started to prowl within the cage like a wounded animal.

The uneasy nature in which Ben watched Poe did not go unnoticed by the General as he held Rey up with one arm and snapped his fingers in front of her face with the other hand. Blinking dazedly she shook her head and then adjusted her position so that she was sitting upright starring at Poe confusedly. "What are you doing?" she called angrily, narrowing her eyes at Poe as if her friend had just caused her grievous harm.

Poe shook his head in disbelief as he peered down at her, "Are you kid.. seriously?" His eyes jumped from Rey to Ben and then back to Rey as he rocked back to sit on his heels, his knees pressed into her make shift bedding. His voice raised an octave and Ben stilled, "The whole thing was shaking. What were you two doing?" an accusatory glance fell finally to Ben.

"No… No." Rey called sternly, grabbing Poe's chin to draw his gaze back on her, "You leave him, you have an issue you talk to me. He did nothing." She looked to Ben who stood with his shoulders hunched like a wild animal about to strike. He was panting lightly, his shoulders aching against the weight of his free'd force energy crashing back down against his body.

In a swift movement Poe stood. He was back in his brown civilian pants and out of his pilots flight suit. His white shirt was tucked into the waist of his trousers but pulled so that the excess fabric looped over loosely. The buttons at the neck were undone in a lazy fashion, usually hidden beneath his Corillian scarf but that article of clothing did not appear on his person. He looked almost hastily dressed, missing a belt, his hair mussed and shaggy. As Rey drew onto her feet standing before him she noticed the pink flush to his warm toned cheeks and a rouge that decorated his neck venturing down beneath his shirt.

"Oh," Poe called, unfazed by her observant stare, "I have issue," his voice raised, hands coming to rest at his hips "I have big issue." As he drew closer, like a posturing little boy trying to intimidate Rey noticed how kiss swollen Poe's lips seemed, damp under the glaring bay lightening.

Rey smirked and looked over at Ben who's posture hadn't changed an inch. "You ok?" she called lightly, letting him know she was good.

Ben nodded moving towards the fencing, his arm raised so that it rest against the doorframe. He leaned into the posture, shoulders sagging beneath unseen weight as he pressed his forehead into the cool metal. The tips of his hair buzzed beneath the close electricity causing him to shift back ever so slightly.

Ignoring Poe, Rey approached the doorway mimicking Ben's posture. Her hand spread wide against the hulking metal framework before she leaned forward into the buzzing and…

"Don't!" Poe called.

Too late.

With a loud zap Rey caught a shock to the face and stumbled back loosing her footing. Her body careened into Poe's who was ready to catch her. Blinking rapidly Rey cried out, "What the hell!?" swinging to slug Poe with and elbow to the gut.

Ben had jumped back as well, clearly very agitated to be on the other side of the fencing as Rey rubbed at her forehead and nose painfully. Beneath her fingers she could feel burning sting of reddening flesh. The damn fencing was not in fact muted after all, it was fully charged and decidedly very dangerous. "Poe…" she bit out through gritted teeth.

"Are you ok?" came Ben's quiet inquiry but Rey was wheeling around on her friend the General faster then anyone might think necessary.

"Why'd you have to go and do something stupid like that?" Poe asked admonishingly, he was making a face that said he thought she was being childish.

She on the other hand was of another opinion. While Poe was treating her to a friendly older brother type look Rey hauled back and punched Poe in the shoulder. Her fist his hard muscle and both cried out in shock as Ben let out a grunt of agitation. "Why?" Rey grunted, "Why. Is. It. Charged?" she asked, punctuating each word with another strike to Poe's assaulted shoulder. She was about to bend low and grab her staff when Poe swung for her upper arm and gripped it tight within his strong hand.

"Oooookay," He said pointedly. Rey could feel as Ben tensed, his dark emotions running wild as he watched the way Poe's hands welcomed themselves to her flesh. Jealousy melded with a fierce need to protect and Ben started his short stepped pacing again. "Chewie!" Poe called loudly, refusing to let Rey go, "Chewie get in here."

After a few moments the wookiee entered the engineering bay with a loud roar of confusion. He looked from Poe to Rey and how Poe's fingertips were now leaving little blenched fingerprints on her flesh. Rey noticed that Chewie looked to Ben next before stalking up to the electro fencing stopping shy of being shocked himself. His fur stood on end as he gaped at the mechanism and barked a few warbling yips at Ben.

"Don't come too close," he told Chewbacca, hands raised in mock surrender as he took a few steps backwards until he was sitting against a crate. Chewie growled and chuffed as he looked the fencing over, nodded to Ben and then turned back to Poe and Rey, "Good luck," Ben muttered as Chewbacca left the room only to return with a warm and worn looking mug filled with steaming liquid. He bumped passed Poe and approached the fencing lock, pressing a few quick buttons until a small window formed in the shielding. Chewie chuffed softly as he passed the object through the strong scent of caff wafting through the air. "Thank you," Ben stated earnestly as he held the cup aloft allowing the steam to roll in wafting waves up and over his senses.

As Chewie turned back to face Poe and Rey he grumbled loudly, his roar fluctuating in tone as he chuffed and nodded his head. Reluctantly, with the air of a man not willing to admit he was wrong, Poe released Rey's arm. "Come on," he said firmly as he turned to walk towards the door. Rey was hesitant to follow but felt Ben's force signature nudge her carefully. She looked at him curiously a moment as Chewbacca took up position at her back indicating that she was to follow Poe.

So, they left in terse silence, Poe leading them down the hallway passed the boarding ramp and into the main hold. He sat with exaggerated agitation, resting his back against the couch as he brought his feet up against the holo chess table. Chewie growled causing Poe to drop his feet, hands raised in mock surrender as he rest his head back and closed his eyes.

Rey crossed the room and stood with her back to a corner. She reached out through the force and felt Ben sitting back and enjoying his cup of caff with understated ease. When he picked up on her presence still with him he wound his force energy around hers like lovers sliding fingertips across palms slowly. As Rey smiled the Falcon jittered and Poe sat bold up right.

"Stop!" he demanded and Rey dropped the connection, startled back into the moment. Immediately the vibrations ceased and Chewie looked between them questioningly.

No one spoke over the next several moments, the air thick with tension. The energy around Poe crackled with unbridled agitation and hostility as he stared off deep in thought. Rey wanted to yell at him but thought the better of it, their friendship was worth more then the sum of all this foolishness. He would come around…

Chewie stood at the mouth of the doorway, he seemed to be listening for something, waiting. Rey got the odd impression things were about to come down around her as Poe avoided her eye. Her attention jumped from one to the other before, with a frustrated sigh she flopped down onto the floor on cross folded legs. It was a little more childish then she may have intended but she felt herself justified. Closing her eyes Rey reached out into the force, she allowed part of her core to slip away on undulating waves of energy. She was at one with the force energy that wove through the existence of all living things, her body growing lighter as she cast herself wide. She felt Poe's fear ripping beneath his agitation and Chewie's conflicted need to protect melded with the pain of all their heavy losses. As Rey felt through the force, the ground beneath her melted away, sounds muffled into a sweet hum and her consciousness swam on waves of winding energy. She felt her being reverberate along the the low hum of the Falcon's background electric systems. Somewhere the lights flickered and her heart beat fluttered against it. It wasn't just living things that sung with force energy, everything if you listened hard enough had a pitch and lilting moan.

All around her voices congregated, heart beats wavered, emotions crooned buffeting her subconsciousness about the space like a balloon floating on the air. She was no one, and everyone. Like a crashing tide she reached with the very core of her out into the world beyond the Falcon's hulking metal walls. She felt footsteps as they pulsated through the ground. A myriad of synchronized steps marching with a purpose. In the world beyond she felt pulled and torn in all directions. Too much happened too soon, she was everywhere and unravelling quickly.

Panic took hold quickly as she tried desperately to wind back in upon herself. Like rounding up the thread of an unravelling blanket she scrambled along the force. She felt as though she might float away on the breeze, as though she might never be whole with herself again. When suddenly she collided with a hard warmth. It felt like being gathered up like sand, mounded and moulded back into the shape of a human being. Tentatively she reached out and allowed her force energy to slide against the energy winding around her own. She recognized it in an instance. Ben must have felt her panic and sought her out. He was pulling and wrapping himself around her like a cocoon drawing her back into her being. Around her lights flickered and the ground vibrated. Poe was gripping the couch, knuckles white and eyes wide in furious agitation. He was saying something loudly, but all Rey could focus on was the hazy imagine of Ben holding her hand. She noticed she was floating, her backside a good several feet off the ground as a few random objects bounced around her on invisible waves of the force.

As the visage of Ben quickly evaporated Rey felt her body lower back to the floor. Poe looked like he'd seen a ghost but at least the tremors had stopped. "What?" Poe demanded.

Rey ignored him, relishing in the warm feeling Ben's force touch had left humming through her finger tips. It was like a high, or so she imagined having never experienced such a thing before. She smiled, like a young girl in her youth swooning over a boy. She'd never been allowed such a mundane experience so the ripple of this feeling flooding her was oddly welcome.

Her thoughts were quickly swept away as the sound of voices echoed off the Falcon's heavy walls. She couldn't tell how many approached just that there were numerous. This was what she had been anticipating, an ambush. Soon the room was filled with a swarm of familiar faces all as stern and concerned as the next. Commander D'acy lead the group followed by Lieutenant Connix a young woman with her hair worn in a familiar loop of braids oddly reminiscent of the late General Organa. Beaumont was at her heels his long face drawn in serious contemplation as he observed the room apprehensively.

Rey liked Beaumont, he was quick witted and incredibly smart though often hid behind his awkward sense of humour. Some found him a hard read but Rey figured she had him pegged. His thirst for knowledge made him a fast ally in the search for information locked within the sacred texts. He was always eager to help and had a kind sort of passion that made him very likeable. Now however, Rey had the sneaking feeling that Beaumont was not here as her ally, but as a blunt reminder as to their situation.

She watched him a moment as a Twi'lek with lovely violet skin and a bored expression slipped passed. Behind her trailed Finn and Rose deep in discussion. An older pilot Rey didn't recognize entered soon after still wearing his x wing flight suit. He found himself a position on the outer rim of the group standing next to Chewbacca to rest in a friendly silence. There was a mon calamari affectionally referred to as Junior and a sullustan who's name she could't quite place. He took up position beside the unknown x wing pilot and Chewie, his large dark eyes round and watchful. It was the beginnings of a make shift jury and Rey found herself growing increasingly agitated as the main hold filled with faces. Yet no one spoke.

When Maz arrived, her small eyes blinked as she looked around the room before making her way to Rey's side. The diminutive woman reached a kind hand for Rey's and gave it a small but warm squeeze. She had one ally it seemed.

Poe stood up, drawing himself tall as he looked around the room taking survey of all the faces. "Ok," he said slowly, eyes jumping from person to person, "Is that… everyone?"

Heads swivelled as everyone looked around, only Chewie, the x wing pilot and the sullustan refused to move, their backs pressed against Falcon's wall. Poe adjusted the waist of his pants, hooking his thumbs into the belt loops in an act of self importance as he moved to stand in the middle of the group. Those around milled back some so they had a better vantage point forming slightly misshapen circle with a gap around the doorway. "Where's…?" He said taking one last spin but was cut off as a voice cried from the doorway.

"Where is the boy?" General Lando Calrissian seemed to have no interest in keeping time but every interest on making an appearance. Even when Lando didn't seem to happy he still appeared to be smiling, his mouth drawn in a wide grin, all teeth and and charm. He had a kindness to him that extended to everyone around but was quick to turn should you cross him. He and Chewie embraced as he entered the room with the sweep of his cape. Chewie chattered at him nodding his head as the two dropped into a quieted conversation.

Poe looked positively furious but his respect for the great General Calrissian kept him steadied. Rey could see his hold over the situation faltering slightly and internally she whooped. Maz cast her a side long grin and shook her head just slightly before turning her attention back upon the Generals.

"In the hold?" General Calrissian called, eyeing Poe for confirmation. Rey saw the gesture for what it was, an offering of respect before Lando went right on a head and did what he wanted. "You can start without me, I have a boy to see," he said with definitive sternest and turned to walk away before any one could stop him. Rey motioned to follow but Poe was on her in an instance pointing a finger in her direction.

"You stay," he ordered, the tone not settling well with Rey but she listened at Maz's insistence. "Ok. Thank you everyone for coming, I know we haven't been settled for long but Im afraid we've got another situation we have to handle." There was a muttering amongst the rooms occupants and Poe continued, "We have captured Kylo Ren,"

Rey bristled, unable to hold herself back from barking out, "Ben,"

The room turned to look at her more quickly then she had been prepared for. Poe looked tired but pressed on ignoring her out burst, "There have been some pretty heavy concerns about what it is we should do with him now."

The sullustan said something in quick sullustese which chewie punctuated with a roaring growl. Finn looked visibly uncomfortable but pressed, "Chewie's right we can't execute him," Rey felt her heart warm beneath Finn's words and cast him a grateful but small smile.

"We need to be better, rise above. We can't start our new freedom with more killing. It needs to end," Rose chimed in rationally. She was standing quite close to Finn as she spoke, her shoulders set and sure.

Commander D'Acy stepped forward so that she stood shoulder to shoulder with Poe. Her sweeping mass of curls was pulled back and out of her face showing off more of her tight features. She was a sweet woman who fought for what she believed in. Her narrow mouth was drawn in a hard line as she spoke, making sure to avoid Rey's gaze, "We can't just let him go either. I find myself in this situation looking to what Leia might do…"

Shifting her weight Rey tried desperately to bite her tongue. She chewed on the inside of her cheek viciously swallowing the scream that was mounting from deep within. When it became clear no one was going to respond and Commander D'Acy was about to continue on Rey took a quick step forward, "Leia would give him a chance." she said firmly.

Maz took that opportunity to add, "Leia knew what needed to be done to save her son's soul. She gave her life so that he might walk in the light once more. If you are looking to her for guidance, I suggest you listen to Rey,"

The two women stood a united front solid and unyielding but the waves of the resistance beat against the foundation with reckless abandon. Lieutenant Connix crossed her arms across her chest as she levelled a glance at Rey, "They fought for years to bring him home," she spat bitterly.

Rey pressed, "All the more reason to give him a chance. You don't know the whole story, none of you do and you're so willing to condemn him over something that started off out of his control."

Chewie barked and yipped nodding his head as he cocked it to the side, gesturing towards Rey. The x wing pilot at his side began nodding, "Chewie has a point," he said calmly. "The only people who know the story right now are him and you so where does that leave us?"

"With an opportunity to be better," Rey cried, "Listen to his story, hear him out. Don't repeat the mistakes of the past."

The white haired pilot smiled sadly at Rey, he had a kind face and soft eyes accented by dark brows. When he spoke, those around him stilled, they listened awarding him the respect one would a General. "When Luke fought against the Emperor,his father Vader turned against his master and saved Luke's life. It was the final sacrifice of a man who lived his life on the dark side. Luke was convinced that Vader had found the light with this final act but the only person who could know that is Luke. I worry the only person who could know Ben's truth is Luke and he's no longer with us." As Rey prepared to jump in the pilot raised his hand asking her to stop, "I know you're training as Luke was, I know as they say 'the force is strong with you' but forgive me young one, how do we trust any of it? We thought the Emperor dead and gone but he's now been pulling the strings this entire time, building a force of planet killing star destroyers… there's too much at stake to go on the word of an untrained Jedi."

Chewbacca warbled sadly, chuffing as he bobbed his head, his mouth wide in exclamation. Rey wanted to run into the large wookiee's arms and bury her face in his fur but she squared her shoulders and prepared for this fight. "Chewie's right Leia sensed it all along and wanted to believe that the light and their love was strong enough to keep him safe but it wasn't. I know you don't know me, I know you have no reason to trust in my strength or my resolve but I will tell you this. Palpatine is dead. We stood against him, I lost my life in the process."

Again, Finn looked as if he wanted to say something. She could feel him fidgeting through the force, his fingers tapping an unsteady rhythm against his pant leg. It was Beaumont who spoke up instead, his tone cautious but kind, "There have been no records of people being brought back from the dead using the light side of the force," he offered softly, almost in apology.

Connix added a little too sharply, "He would know,"

Rey turned to Finn and Poe, her large brown eyes imploring, "You saw how I transferred some of my life energy to that serpent on Pasaana. You know it's possible."

"But you were dead Rey, that's not a little shared," Finn said sadly.

"No," Rey agree'd, "It's not."

Silence, she felt through the force as Ben reached out to her, their energies merged, twining together. His warmth washed over her, through her, as intimate as any lovers embrace. As she wound it around herself the floor began its jittering dance. Cupboards rattled and banged, crates bounced on invisible waves of bucking energy. Her body felt electric, as the atmosphere around her cracked and snapped.

"And this is why we have a problem," Poe called out, he didn't want to be having the conversation, she could see he really didn't want to drag her into this anymore then he already had. "This, what is this?" he gestured widely, the faces in their group a mix of shock, fear and astonishment.

When no one answered Maz turned to Rey. The vibrations were simmering but her skin still felt the prickle of energy winding through her. She could feel the flush against her cheek like the high from a good kiss. It was intimate and mildly embarrassing but Rey no longer cared what the others had to say about it. With a quick flick of her small fingers, Maz's opulent round glasses slid into place, "Come closer child," she said in her velvety smooth tone, pulling Rey to crouch before her. When her magnifiers were in place you could see Maz's eyes for the true ambered whisky color they truly were. Rey felt incredibly exposed beneath their luminous gaze but followed the small woman's tugging. She watched, her fingers hovering over the flesh of Rey's arm, dragging a light touch through the force. Her eyes were so close Maz looked like she were counting Rey's skin follicles individually. Along the line of flesh she moved thrown off by the sudden end of Rey's arm and the juncture where her shoulder sat. Blinking as she gazed up at Rey she tapped at the hem of the girls shirt and jerked her hand upwards slightly, indicating what she wanted.

Apprehension flickered as Rey, very aware of every eye in the room, stood up and slowly pulled at the fabric of her shirt exposing her midriff. Maz shifted forward, drawing closer now, her small orange fingers smoothed over Rey's belly button before snaking their way in a line over the expanse of bare flesh. Her head moved from one side to the other, her hand shifting in position, lightly working over Rey's stomach. "Here…" Maz finally said, pointing at a spot which had pinked up beneath her inspection, "Something happened here…" she looked to Rey for confirmation, but of what Rey hadn't a clue. Looking down at the place where Maz's finger was pressing realization struck like lightening.

"Ben…" she said softly, the occupants of the room shifted on an uncomfortable wave of tension, "That's where his hand… when he laid his hand…" but what different would that make.  
Maz nodded slowly, "A life exchange, how then?"

Rey shrugged, "We're a dyad in the force," she offered in way of answer.

"Bound…" Maz said almost mystified, she turned quick to Beaumont who jumped at the sudden attention, "You, historian." she ordered authoritatively, "Have you read anything, heard anything about a force dyad?"

Shaking his had Beaumont seemed to loose his words, blinking wide eyed at the small queen of pirates.

"Hmmm," Chewie squawked and chuffed to which Maz smiled warmly, "it means that Rey and Ben are like two sides of one coin. They balance one another." Her hands wavered through the air like fins on a fish, "the biggest misgiving is that darkness is a negative, the dark side manipulates the darkness but a true balanced force wielder uses the dark side to enhance their light. Think of the the shadows cast by the sun, they are an inevitability. They show us the eb and flow of the world around us. Tethered to the light, a darkness brings balance, when left to run wild it destroys. Rey and Ben are bound as such,"

"What does that mean for us?" asked Commander D'Acy.

Maz shrugged casually, tugging Rey's shirt back down with a pat to the back of her hand, "Simply that your decision is far more complicated. However, it means you should put your trust in Rey."


	4. Chapter 4

_Well once again I set to write one thing and a completely different thing flows right out of me. I was intending to have more Ben in this chapter but then I got going and next thing you know Im several thousand words in. Anyway. This chapter features an OC of my own. The lack of Twi'leks and other such species in the new trilogy makes me a little sad so here we are. As always, let me know what you think. xo_

* * *

Over the course of the next several hours many things took place. A loose idea of a galactic senate was formed. Pilots were dispatched to the outer regions to encourage planets to elect delegates to meet in Corellia. There their first order of business would be deciding the fate of Supreme Leader Kylo Ren. Many of their friends expressed concerns, shared their fears and some just made blunt declarations. Lando had returned later then expected, he was quiet and watchful but his mouth still held that trademark grin. He watched Rey curiously from his position next to Chewbacca but when he took his leave gave Rey a dashing grin and a nod before simply strolling away. By the end of it all Rey was exhausted and about ready to whack someone with her staff.

She and Maz had sat down and had a good chat about what had happened on Exegol. Rey found that once the information started she couldn't stop it and she was divulging everything. Maz merely listened quietly, punctuating still moments with an "I see" or a slow nod of her rather large head. She didn't ask obscene questions or make blanket statements, she simply, listened and when Rey was done, her tears cried, her eye red and sore Maz said, "Well you'll need to bring balance back to that equation, you can't keep sending crates vibrating across the floor."

By the time Maz had taken her leave they were left with the usual suspects. Finn and Rose had settled into a game of holo chess which Chewie was over seeing with rapt fascination. Every so often he could be heard heckling Finn whose shyriiwook was poor at best and could be bated far too easily. The twi'lek had stayed behind, she was talking to Poe near the cargo hatches close to the forward hold. Their bodies were positioned in such a way that Rey found herself watching curiously. Poe was leaning over the violet skinned woman and she didn't seem to mind the position. Instead she toyed with a wrench she had tucked into the pocket of her coveralls. The body of the suit was undone to the waist, the way x wing pilots often wore them when on down time between flights. The pants hung baggy on her slip frame, secured by the arms which she tied tightly around her middle. She wore a tightly wound breast band that wrapped several times and then moved down around her ribcage in a few passes with a cropped leather jacket. She was poking Poe in the chest when Rey realized they were actually flirting with one another.

A blush crept into Rey's cheeks as she quickly diverted her attention and pretended to be interested in the chess match. Poe was smiling in a strange sort of way, unhindered while the twi'lek looked bored, twirling the wrench through her fingers with skilled ease. She must be a mechanic Rey realized. Her life energy hummed the way a well oiled engine did smooth and easy. She seemed to tame the wild fire that Poe had recently had lit under his backside.

Before realizing what was happening the twi'lek was at her side. Her large eyes were opulent pools of jade as she peered up at Rey cautiously. "The wookiee says you're good with ships," she said, her words softly accented.

Chewbacca raised his head and growled a few quick yips with a steady bob of his head. The twi'lek simply laughed in a rather friendly way, swatting at Chewbacca playfully, "Oh stop it Chewie," she joked before sliding her arms around the wookiee's neck. Rey found herself suddenly very out of place in this moment looking from Chewie then over to Poe as if explanation lie there. Chewie simply chuffed as the young women nuzzled her cheek against his head, "I 'ave't gotten round to the Falcon yet, I'm sorry Chewie. I know you like to do the work yourself but I noticed a few of your sublight engines needed some work and that's a two man job, I'll swing by in a bit and we'll tackle it together yah?" With a pat on his shoulder she drew back and returned her attention to Rey.

"I'm sorry…" Rey started

"Oh, right, we 'aven't met before 'ave we?" After rubbing her hand against her pants, presumably to clean it, she offered it to Rey with a smile, "I'm At-Shae, engineer."

Rey smiled as she shook the offered hand, "Rey," she said realizing that the twi'lek, At-Shae likely already knew that. "I can fly well enough sure," she added offhandedly.

At-Shae crossed her arms against her chest and cast an appraising look at Rey, "You flew that old TIE in, yah?"

Nodding Rey fell into easy step with the twi'lek, curiosity getting the better of her and in all fairness she really did want to get away for a few minutes. They walked the way friends do, chatting about inane things when Rey felt a sudden tug through the force. Stopping suddenly as they found themselves just along the boarding ramp Rey paused looking to her new companion with an apologetic look. "Can you just… give me a minute?"

With a quick inclination of her head At-Shae watched as Rey disappeared back into the ship. Her foot steps carried her along the hallway their soft echo bouncing off the heavy walls. Ben sat on his make shift bed, legs crossed, back straight and eyes closed. He looked calm and almost serene barely moving as Rey approached.

"Don't get too close to the fencing," Ben called out jokingly and Rey's footsteps faltered a few feet from the doorway. He was smiling, his full lips up turned and welcoming.  
"Ha-Ha," Rey droned, "You doing ok?" She watched him as he sat there, his breathing easy, the force fluctuating around him in slow undulating waves. His dark hair looked as though he'd run his fingers through it a few hundred times, pulled back in a sweeping wave off his forehead to fall loosely. How he managed to maintain such body to the mop she would never know.

As he opened his eyes treating her to their depthless stare she felt her heart thump against her chest. Her entire life had been about survival, waiting and pondering who she was. She'd never had time for boys or dreaming of a life passed her next meal so this feeling that struck her suddenly was pleasantly foreign. "Uncle Lando came to visit," He seemed to surprise himself with the use of the title but pushed passed it, "It was… odd but pleasant actually," Rising smoothly to his feet Ben paced towards the electrified doorway and stood facing Rey straight on.

"Im so sorry," she said in a rush, "Someone's waiting for me, I can't stay but I'll be back soon." If he was disappointed he didn't show it. Instead Ben nodded quietly, "Can I bring you back anything? Should I sneak you a treat?"

At that Ben laughed, "Sure," When Rey was turning to leave, looking decidedly shy and a little giddy Ben called, "Hey Rey,"

"Hmm?" she responded her body half turned to look at him, a hand on the doorway exiting the engineering bay. Ben however said nothing, he just grinned sheepishly. She felt him however through the force, a ghost of a touch feathered along her forearm up to her shoulder before it caressed her neck and then found itself decadently drawn across her lips. A shiver run along her spine as her cheeks pinked and she reached out, winding her own force energy around his. More then anything she wanted to feel his skin against her own but settled for a flirtatious grin as she called, "Behave in there," and disappeared along the hallway.

Returning to the boarding ramp Rey found At-Shae leaning against one of the hydraulic lifts her hands shoved into the pockets of her leather jacket. There was an ease about her that was simple and natural. Rey found herself almost envious of the way in which At-Shae interacted with the world around her. They walked in companionable silence, both women maintaining a respectable amount of space between the other.

Once they were a fair distance away from the Falcon the twi'lek girl rounded on Rey quickly. "Did you go see 'im?" she asked mischievously, her eyes a light like a child about to get into trouble.

The camp was oddly quiet now, many ships had left but the odd person could be found wandering about. Rey wasn't keen on the idea of gaining more attention then necessary and so looked quite panicked when At-Shae started in on her. "Ben?" she questioned quietly, her voice a low rumble in hopes that At-Shae might get the hint and match her voice level.

Unfazed the twi-lek turned to continue walking. She let a sharp whistle of admiration slide passed her lips as she wandered on, her steps a little slower, "Ben Solo… wow."

Rey was confused, they weren't friends, she didn't even really know this woman and suddenly she was quite interested in Ben. The same Ben that Poe was vehemently trying to keep her away from. It was all rather odd and unsettling but At-Shae carried along as though they had been close their whole lives. When Rey didn't respond the twi'lek tossed Rey a roguish grin, "Look, full disclosure, Poe and I 'ave been intimate."

Well there was that.

"It's not like we're partners or anythin' we just get one another right now."

Rey maneuvered around a pile of crates and pulled away from her a moment, suddenly feeling very at odds, "Why are you telling me this?" she asked softly.

"Cause you need to understand," At-Shae stopped and looked around. They were to the east of the base, closer to where the river ran from the pools where they collected their water. It was a quiet area over grown with lush vegetation that muffled the busy din of base. "'ere," she called, her hand darting out from her jacket to grab Rey's wrist. It was a quick motion which caught Rey off guard and she soon found herself hunched low being tugged along a thin make shift path. The force thrummed around her with life and joy, the leaves of over hanging trees snagged in her hair but still their feet carried them on. She could feel the way At-Shae's heart beat rang in a steady rhythm despite the speed at which her feet carried her.

Soon they came to a stop, the waters edge crisp and bright beneath the afternoon sun. It fell through the leaves leaving dappled patterns of light against the earthy ground. At-Shae was toeing off her work boots and rolling put the legs of her pants before Rey could even register what was going on. "You feel that?" the twi'lek called as she walked into the water leaving Rey at the bank side.

All of this was very strange, Rey simply didn't know how to react, "What? what is happening right now? Are you going to tell me that Poe is right and I'm being selfish? Did you take me here to threaten me or Ben?" Exasperation poured off Rey in waves as she took in the world around her. "What am I suppose to be feeling?"

Cool and collected At-Shae simply responded, "Peace," as she swung her feet thought the water in slow stead motions. Her lekku hung in the sunlight, wrapped in their banded leather. It wasn't an uncommon look for twi'leks not that Rey had much experience with them, but At-Shae's lekku were flecked with a spiralling pattern that under the sunlight Rey realized ventured down the young woman's brow as well. "You can let go anytime now. You're all tightly wound and the force around you is unsteady."

"You're force sensitive," Rey said quickly.

"We make for good mechanics, I can feel it, not wield it," She shrugged, "sometimes I feel it a little more then others. Like when you're with your Ben for example," she gave Rey a knowing look, eyebrow raised in poignant stare, "It's 'ow I know Poe cares for you."

Rey found herself sinking down against a rock, her heels digging into the earth. She worried her feet over and over making ruts in the dirt before filling them in repeating the process again and again. "He wants to kill Ben," Rey said childishly.

At-Shae clicked her tongue against the roof of her mouth and tossed a cupped handful of water in Rey's direction. " 'e does not!" she cried, "I see 'im, you don't see 'im."

"He's been acting like a laser brain," Rey huffed, flinching as the water splashed against her cheek. Her heels digging deep this time, mud from the ground dirtying her beige boots.

Bent low At-Shae was inspecting the clear surface of the water. Rey could just make out the girls reflection as her lekku tumbled forward over her shoulders, their tips gracing the water surface lightly, " 'E is acting like a man with no idea 'ow to match up to a General like Leia. 'E thinks 'e is alone and 'e is terrified for you," she offered, speaking directly to her imagine peering back at her. "You think telling 'im you died and Ben saved you makes Poe feel better? 'E 'ates that you were down there on your own in the first place. 'E wants to trust Ben too, Poe loved Leia, she saved him,"

When Rey thought to ask, At-Shae simply said, "That is 'is story to tell, not mine. I can just tell you this. I 'ave been intimate with him, 'e as as complex as any man can be. While your 'ostility may be warranted think of the larger picture and who you 'ave been able to trust."

Deep in thought Rey lost herself. She closed her eyes and allowed the events that had unfolded since she left Jakku to flood her mind. Finn and Poe were everywhere, Chewbacca and Rose too. Master Skywalker, his stubborn nature, Leia and her kind smile and determination. Han Solo and his offer for something more then a scavengers life. Her entire life she had been waiting for a family who were never going to come back for her. A family that had given her up in order to save her. It was only when she was forced to leave Jakku that she found what she had truly needed. A place to belong and a people to belong to. With effortless ease Rey fell back against extended arms allowing the warm sunlight to wash over her supine form. She felt the world around her, the ripple of water over rocks, the hum of wildlife, the steady moan of decay as it sung in rapturous tremor the song of this planets balanced state.

Life, death, rebirth, it danced around them on a steady beat weaving through their hulking presence like water through a pebbled river bed. In the grand scheme of things their presence meant nothing here, when they were gone the moon would go back to its steady rhythm. Rey worked her fingers into the mossy ground reaching out through the force. Like a breath, she felt her body exhale her anxieties and trepidations, the earth beneath her fingers leeching away the heavy and dark feelings that had been plaguing her troubled soul and mind.

Be with me, she thought. Be with me. Her arms slipping out from beneath her she lie against the ground and simply let herself feel. She inhaled deep allowing the breath to wash through her filing every corner of her existence. As she exhaled, she blew away that which served no purpose, her fears, her anxieties. She yielded them to the force and gave herself over to the stillness and heart beat of the moon. Voices filled her mind, languages foreign and ancient spanning galaxies and ages. The moon swallowed her, her body at one with the earth and rock at her back.

Slowly Rey felt her breathing, a heavy hand that didn't feel like it belonged to her moved to her middle to rest against the point Maz had indicated her trouble stemmed. She allowed the force to rumble through her, like a steady wave of light washing her body in it's purity. From her toes the sensation sang, a steady unwinding of webs knotted and stuck together. It crept in slow, warm caresses, like the touch of a lover worshiping at the alter of their affection. Along her shins, over her thighs the sensation crawled, loving and graceful, wrapping itself around every aspect of her being until it reached the point where her hand sat. It trembled and spun pulling away over lapping piece by piece like the unwinding of a bandage. Beneath the layers of energy she felt the signature of an energy that didn't belong to her. She followed the motion in weaving patterns until all that was left was a bright blue light, like a handprint against her soul. There, she felt as her energy knit together with Ben's. It was ragged and rudimentary but as she followed along the force she felt as the stitches of it became smooth, connecting it to her in a way that was second nature. Light exploded behind her vision as her body drew an involuntary deep gasp, the heat and light of the force rampaging through her body in a steady flow now no longer damed by the winding of scar tissue. Over her chest, down her arms and up along her neck the sensation inched until she felt alight with the warm glow of the force.

"Now," a voice called, "You feel it."

Whatever 'it' was she surely did. She felt everything, her breath coming in heavy inhalations that fed not only her body but all of those around her. She was connected to the greater heart beat of the planet, like a battery put in place to work as a part of a greater whole. She felt lighter then air, yet heavier then a star destroyer. She was no where and everywhere, reaching out through the world around her on an endless wave of light. This was what it meant to be connected to the force, to be at one with it's energy.

When she finally drew back into herself, it felt like mere minutes had passed but the sky above them was beginning to darken. At-Shae was sitting on the bank with her legs stretched out in front of her basking in the remnants of warmth left from the setting sun. She seemed to hum to herself, a tune eerily soft and melodious that Rey stilled to listen. Feeling the radiance of it she allowed her returning energies to float along on the notes before finally settling back into her being.

" 'Ave fun?" the twi'lek said softly, her eyes closed but mind very present.

Rey hummed contentedly, "Did you actually want to ask me about the TIE?" she inquired lightly.

At-Shae laughed boldly, the sound loud and full of mirth. She had such joy and understanding that Rey couldn't help but find herself curious about the young engineer. "No offence but they 'aven't built a ship yet I couldn't find my way around."

Nodding Rey understood this for what it was, a guided hand offered in way of friendship. At-Shae didn't want anything from her, she simply wanted peace. A novel concept that Rey herself found foreign and strained but one that she was settling into. "Thanks," Rey said sweetly, a small smile tugging at her lips before she cast her gaze skywards. "I really should get back."

"To Ben…" the twi'lek mused lightly, "No, I get it, I do." her tone held no judgement just an odd sort of understanding. This woman had known deep love in her life time. Rey found herself pondering on who might have deserved such feeling when At-Shae said with a sad sort of smile, "No, not Poe. We're too similar. It's fun but will run its course in due time,"

Rey nodded slightly embarrassed. It wasn't that such couplings were a foreign concept she just hadn't had the time to dwell on such a thought in quite some time. Now that her soul found the one with whom it resonated, she didn't think she could ever go back to such visceral couplings again. Or so she assumed, her exploits with Ben physically being no more then an innocent kiss or two. "I appreciate… this," she said as she rose to her feet dusting the dirt off her backside absentmindedly.

Her twi'lek companion followed suit, hastily tucking her small feet back into what Rey now observed were rather large boots., "Any time," she chimed happily, moving to lead Rey out from their secret hideaway.

Emerging back onto the main body of the base, soldiers and pilots a like were milling about. Everyone moved with a relaxed sort of slowness awarded after a great battle won. Heads held higher, shoulders more sure and confident, smiles worn with a quiet knowing that all would be well. No one paid Rey much mind now, she was able to fade into the background prepared to go her separate way from At-Shae when she stopped. "Hey, odd question,"

At-Shae paused, her hands shoved back into the pockets of her short cut bomber style leather coat. She nodded to Rey by way of encouragement standing with one hip cocked to the side lazily.

"You wouldn't happen to know where a girl could get something… I don't know sweet maybe?" Rey asked hopefully remembering her promise to Ben.

Eyes wide the violet skinned woman quickly drew her hands out of her pockets and clapped them together sharply, "Oh love, 'ave I got the thing for you!" she turned quick and started in a sprint across the other side of the base. Her lekku bounced as she jogged mesmerizing Rey as she followed behind at a clipped pace. When they arrived at what Rey assumed to be At-Shae's bunk area Rey looked around in rapt fascination. There were dismantled droids and engine parts everywhere, tools of every kind imaginable littered a table filled with what some might consider junk. It smelt of Pijali soaps sweet and floral masking the heavy under tone of motor oil and grease. At-Shae was busying herself digging through a few drawers which had been pulled out and placed upon what looked like a bedside table. As Rey looked about she noticed a staff in the corner. As her weapon of choice and the one she still felt most comfortable wielding she drew closer noting the odd blade that was rigged to the bottom of the tall weapon. At-Shae, her back to Rey turned quick and threw her arm out interrupting Rey's approach.

"Don't," the twi'lek said with soft assuredness, "please," She looked up over her shoulder almost shy, "It was my fathers…" As her accent thickened Rey thought she noticed At-Shae's lekku jitter at the ends. The moment passed in mere seconds and she was back digging through her drawers with renewed vigour.

Suddenly, At-Shae drew back with a grin. She held her hands a loft, both clutching a small package tightly. Holding it eye level she giggled to herself and cocked a ry eyebrow in Rey's direction. "I give this to you in an offer of friendship," she stated most seriously, her tone bouncing on the air with giddy glee. "You promise me you'll talk to Poe, really talk to 'im?"

Rey nodded suddenly very apprehensive, her skin tingled beneath the girls excitement, she was broadcasting her emotions loud and very clear. Rey decided she liked that about the twi'lek and extended her hand to accept the gift and the promise it held. "I will, but… what is it?"

With a wicked grin At-Shae dropped the package into Rey's waiting grip and cried, "Chocolate!" When Rey didn't respond the twi'lek's eyes widened, "you've 'eard of chocolate right?" Rey shook her head and her companion gasped in scandalous wonderment, "Oh Love," she chirped, "This is rare and utterly delicious. Take it, for Ben." she smiled knowingly, "For you,"

And with an encouraging nod Rey offered the twi'lek girl a quick hug and was off.


	5. Chapter 5

_I felt I had to make up for the lack of Ben in the previous chapters so here we are. These two together make my heart so happy, hope you enjoy lovelies. xo_

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The moon was high by the time Rey managed to find herself back at the boarding ramp of the Millennium Falcon. Chewie was outside, a fire lit and some form of beast roasting over its open flames. He growled and yipped at Rey a few times as she passed, allowing her hand to slide across the hulking wookiee's shoulder, "Thanks Chewie, I'll come get some in a bit?" Chewie chuffed and warbled in response, nodding his head back towards the Falcon as Rey cast her eyes towards the ramp, "Would you?" she asked hopefully. "For both of us?" Chewbacca nodded and chuffed again only to be rewarded with Rey's body colliding against his back. She wound her arms around his neck and pressed her cheek against the side of his face.

"You're the best," she chimed as she released her furry friend and headed inside the Falcon. While she wanted her first stop to be the cargo hold Ben was now calling his temporary home, she hurried first to the refresher. Since they were earth bound for the moment the Falcon's water supply had been replenished and Rey was able to take her first warm water shower in weeks. While sonic showers got the job done and left one feeling disturbingly clean, Rey found herself absolutely obsessed with a shower of warm water.

The water felt simply fantastic as it dripped down over her flesh in delicate rivets. Her hair hung at her back long and filthy, unbound from the signature loops. As she lathered her chestnut tresses with the thick bubbling soap she let herself go against the sensation of it. For just a moment she could feel Ben's fingers instead of her own, pressing firmly against her scalp as they drug themselves in lazy circles.

The smell of trillium soap surrounded her as she lathered it through her hair, eyes closed and focused purely on the sensation of it. It felt glorious, the warmth and the scent, the way her aching body lit up beneath the hot water. The deep moist heat penetrating into her muscles and joints soothing their nagging ache. It made her feel almost dazed, lulled into a sense of euphoric elation as her body responded to the cascade of water. It was perfect, almost too perfect. As she rinsed her hair, turning her body so that her back was against the shower she scrubbed her hands over her face, wiping the water away.

Opening her eyes she was met suddenly with the image of a man. He was tall, dark and fully clothed, his chest a mere inches away from her face in the small confines of the shower. Eyes wide, realization dawning on her, Rey looked up to find Ben standing over her looking very, very confused. His dark brows knit together as he looked down at her, mouth wide as if ready to say to something but his words appeared lost. "Uhhh…" he drawled

Rey however simply panicked. Her hands moved everywhere, one leg drawn up in a pathetic attempt to maintain modestly. She squirmed and groaned before deciding on simply turning around so that her back was to Ben, catching a full mouth of shower water in the process. "What are you doing?!" She cried, her new position affording Ben a lovely view of her backside. She could feel her cheeks heat as his admiration rippled along the force.

Quickly Ben found the decency to cover his eyes, his large hand and their close proximity effectively blocking him from seeing much more then the top of her head. As the water beat down on them he found himself slowly becoming more and more saturated, his chest and thighs growing damper by the minute. "I felt a pull… then I was here." he stammered on his words a little, "I didn't know I swear."

Adjusting her stance beneath the shower head, Ray looked over her shoulder. She laughed almost pathetically as she offered him a sort of half grin half pout. "I was washing my hair…" she wasn't sure why she needed to explain that to him but he smiled as she did.

"My mother use to love the smell of that soap," he offered softly, slowly lowering his hand from his field of vision. The steam wafted around them, the heat from the shower reddening Rey's flesh softly. She was torn between pushing him out and making a run for it herself but both actions would require her to moved and at that moment she found herself paralyzed by the depth of his stare. It wasn't a lecherous look but one of innocent appraisal. His eyes, schooled in neutrality scanned the top of her head, "You still have… may I?"

Unsure of what exactly to do in this situation Rey nodded shyly, turning her back to him, her arms bent at the elbows and held against her chest. He made quick work of it, fingers combing gently through her hair, the action causing her to crane her neck into the sensation. Broad fingertips massaged at her scalp working the soap in calming and gentle circles. His large hands seemed to cup the back of her head, palms working with fingertips. It felt deliciously extravagant to have someone else do the work for her. Slowly her shoulders began to relax, dropping the weight of her worry. With gentle combing fingers he drug his digits through water logged locks before bending forward and placing a kiss to her bare shoulder. His lips lingered a moment, his nose ticking the shell of her ear before he whispered against her flesh, "See you soon," and he was gone.

Rey's knees buckled, she had to hold herself against the wall, her forehead pressed into the warm tile. It took her longer then she wanted to admit before she was ready to extricate herself form the warmth and safety of her shower sanctuary. Eventually the cool air met her flesh and she was grounded once more. Searching her bunk for some spare clothes she pulled on a pair of plain grey pants, cropped half way down her calf and a dark tunic with short capped sleeves. The garment was thigh length and split at the side with leather draw strings stitching it together. As the warmth from the shower lingered meeting the cool air aboard the Falcon she shivered. Pulling a cowl out from within a chest at the foot of one of the beds she wrapped the garment around herself before setting to the task of finding Ben something to wear. She was pretty sure he would still be wet and the cargo hold was likely a lot more chilly then the sleeping quarters.

As Rey gathered herself, combing her fingers through her hair a few times she glanced in the mirror quickly and smiled. Still wet her hair smelt faintly of trillium. Reaching for a spray bottle on the nightstand she gave a hesitant spritz. The smell of vanbar berries and something earthy hit the air pleasantly. A few more quick spritzes had Rey quickly stepping through allowing the scent to settle against her skin. There was nothing wrong with smelling nice for the man who had just seem you mostly naked.

With Ben's clothes in hand, his chocolate treat tucked into the shirt, Rey set off down the hallway to Ben's cargo hold home. It seemed Chewie had arrived before her, the wookiee setting out a platter of roasted meats and an assortment of native fruits and cheeses. He glanced at Rey, hair still wet, clothing folded against her chest and then to Ben who's dark clothing was quite obviously damp. A moment passed where no one said anything. What was there to say?

Ben couldn't have gotten out of his makeshift cell, made it down to the refresher and stepped into the shower fully clothed. Could he?

Chewbacca's brow furrowed, his bright eyes keenly trained on Ben as he sniffed the air. and the growled lightly. Rey was prepared for questions and an awkward exchange but Chewie simply stood up and placed a large hand on her shoulder. She offered him a kind smile in way of thanks and muttered, "Don't ask," as Chewie shook his head and walked away waving a hand over his shoulder. Before he was gone however the wookiee turned in the doorway and warbled loud and clear. Rey's smile grew as Ben looked astonished watching after Chewie as he made his exit.

"Well then…" Rey let out a breath and settled down on the floor across from the electro fencing. She could see Ben was indeed in need of new clothing, the ends of his hair were sticking to the side of his face, his shirt sleeves practically saturated. "I brought you a treat," she offered kindly, avoiding his eye a moment as she came to terms with their new found level of intimacy. Innocent as it may have been.

Ben grinned roguishly, "I thought I already got it,"

Rey's eyes went wide as she took a sharp inhalation through her nose and worried at her lower lip. She wanted to slap at him playfully but their position on alternative sides of the fencing made such a feat difficult. Instead she would have to settled for an admonishing, "You watch yourself Ben Solo,"

That damned Solo smile was eating away at her though, his mouth quirked and drawn in the most delectable ways. His lips were full and utterly kissable, hell they were demanding of it and here she was stuck on the other side of this damnable fencing. Without thought Rey scooched forward. She was sitting cross legged, her knees just a breath away from getting zapped. She didn't know the codes the way Chewie did but this was worth a shot. Raising her hand up to hover over the flickering blue she brought it close enough that the vibration of the electro energy bounced beneath her palms. She reached out through the force allowing her energy to buffet against the fencing like a raging orback needing to be tamed. Arcs of energy leapt off the vibrating blue fence work as she held her hand steady. The energy hummed and pulsed beneath her hand as she focused and found the space between the fluctuations. Weaving her own force energy through the barrier, the arcs lessened and the once crackling fencing now hummed in a low purr.

Tentatively Rey bridged the breath of a gap between her hand and the pulsating blue, Ben ready to protest watched carefully as nothing happened. There was no zap, no crackle, no fluctuation of energy. The fencing stood neutralized, effective in holding its captor in place but muted to a state of safety. Ben watched, raising his own hand to press against hers through the electro barrier. Much larger, his fingers over shadowed hers, the wall of blue muting the force that rippled between them. "I don't know how I'm suppose to get it to you…" She said absently. Closing her eyes Rey pushed further, reaching out for him, the sensation of his force energy licking gently against hers. The touch was feather light, a gentle distant caress like trying to feel through layers of blankets. Frustrated Rey let out an sigh of exasperation, accidentally releasing a wave of unbridled force with it.

Ben drew his hand away as if suddenly shocked by the sensation. "Do that again," he said quickly, his hand placed back over her own.

Nodding, Rey focused herself, feeling as the energy from the force wove through the barrier between them again. She gathered her energy and with low exhalation she pushed against the wall of rippling blue fencing feeling as Ben did the same on the other side.

There was an electronic hiss and the blue light flickered, the haze of the fencing weakening and Rey found her hand met with the warm embrace of another. Eyes open now she looked up at Ben sitting in a mirrored position of her own. Their fingers slid against one another before becoming locked in folded embrace. Ben smiled, it was broad and beautiful as he marvelled at the way her hand felt pressed palm to palm against his own. Rey could feel his joy through the force as she gave his hand a small squeeze.

"Hello…" he said, his voice a little lower, more feral in nature. As they touched, their force energies melding Rey marvelled as the world around them sat stock still. Nothing vibrated or shook. She looked between their joined hands and his face with a wondrous grin of her own.

"Hello," she responded softly, bringing her other hand up as he did the same. Their fingers touched softly, sliding against one another until their palms met and fingers joined. Between them the force raged and wavered, sliding gently against one another before finding the space where they fit together. Their energies joined much like their hands, interwoven and shifting like the ebb and flow of a steady tide. It wound around them in harmonious synchronicity. A glorious explosion of blues and whites erupting from the ether in a rain of hazy sparks, like muted force lightening.

Their breathing fell in even breaths matching the rise and fall of one another's chests. Warmth and light radiated from all around them to settle into a lovely low hum and at the very centre, the core of their interaction, innocent as it may have been was balance.

"A dyad," Rey muttered softly, her eyes wide with wonder as she gazed fondly at Ben.

"Balance," he responded in tone, before suddenly tugging on their conjoined hands toppling backwards so that Rey's lithe form landed securely onto his own. He smiled at her as he let her fingers go, large warm palms pressing against the delicate flesh of her cheeks as she hovered over him awkwardly. Her hair, loose and damp tumbled over her shoulders falling in a shower around their faces as Ben grinned like a loth-cat that got the cream and pressed his lips firmly to hers. His body was warm but still damp, the wetness seeping into her pleasantly dry clothing. As her hands found purchase against the floor of the Falcon she found herself torn between wanting to sink into the sensation of him and bolt away. His force forsaken hands and the delicious way his fingers massaged gently just behind her ears, as he cupped her face. Star's end she could lose herself in his kiss, soft full lips begging permission to deepen their embrace, towing a line she hadn't realized had been drawn.

He groaned beneath her as their lips shifted and he gained better access, pushing softly up against her. Gods he tasted like smoke and heat and delicious spiced wine. The pull of the force around him sang loudly, a brilliant call of windswept desire. When she finally gained the courage to pull back, separating their bodies in a slow and agonizing movement it took her a moment to gather herself. Ben looked positively radiant, laying on his back propped up lazily by his elbows. She wanted to hit him, she wanted to kiss him again.

The sudden loss of his body heat caused her to groan with the realization that her cowl was now quite damp. Ben's clothing covered in their own patchy wet spots, the sleeves still quite saturated from his escapades washing her hair. "You're wet," Rey said breathlessly.

Ben smirked looking far younger then his true age told, "Why yes I am," he practically purred, "Someone saw fit to tug me into the shower not long ago," his teasing tone earned him a gaping glare from Rey as she stammered to find the words to respond. He was laughing heartily when Rey flung a change of clothes at him knocking him square in the face. With exaggerated grace he fall back against the floor and continued to chuckle.

"You," she cried playfully, "Are a pervert."

Sitting upright Ben cocked a brow in her direction, a challenging sort of glance. Rey had to hide her smirk as she played the card of affronted offence. It felt good to banter so light heartedly. She found herself thinking back to Poe and the way he spoke to the twi'lek girl At-Shae. The easy way in which they carried on their flirtatious conversation in open view for all to see. There was a simplicity to the interaction, no worries of war or where the next attack might come from. They didn't have to worry about being hunted or chased across the galaxy.

With a heavy heart she realized that was in part because the one being doing the hunting and the terrorizing was sitting in front of her, a prisoner of the resistance. A prisoner who turned himself in, she needed to remind herself. A prisoner who for nearly his entire life had lived with a vail of darkness shrouding his mind. The seed of which happened to be planted by the patriarch of her very own family. The force vibrated around them as Rey tumbled down a hole of convoluted what if's and maybe's. The comfortable air of their interaction now gone, replaced by a heavy realization that no matter how much she may have wanted to be 'just a girl' who fell for 'just a boy' it would never be the case for her and Ben.

Weren't such concepts overrated anyway?

Cautiously, feeling the change in the force around them, Ben sat up and watched Rey through curiously quieted eyes. He could feel her thoughts. Like a star craft light speed skipping they jumped and altered course dangerously. Her eyes dimmed and far away as they raced over a course of what their lives could be like, or maybe would be like. "It's never going to be easy for us… Is it?" peering up at him from beneath heavy dark lashes she sought the answers within his stare. Searching his fine features, the slope of his brow, the depth of his eyes, the sharp angle of his face.

"Does it need to be?" he countered, the jovial grin washed away beneath the serious set of her shoulders. He had offered her his hand once as Kylo Ren and she had turned him down. He realized now that his darkness would only have tried to suffocate the bright glimmer of light that shone from deep within her. She could never have been happy living beneath the shroud of the darkside. Not even her need for answers or revenge could taint that beautiful light that he so desperately coveted. For him, it was the simplest complication he would ever know. The darkness would always be there, tempered and restrained, cast into shadows by the light which both she and his mother had helped him regain. They could figure out everything else as they went so long as their light remained pure and true. There were a lot of things he had to live with and some heavy truths which would never go away but he knew his path now. Truer then any other.

Rey thought a moment, "I suppose not…" she answered cautiously. Ben was watching her with eyes lit with a purposeful intent. He was calm yet resolute in his position on things. She could feel it through the force, his emotions and over whelming need an unbreakable wall of resolve. The feel of it made her tremble, "Only the Sith work in absolutes," she found herself saying, words from someone else lips but Ben seemed to gather their meaning.

"Maybe so, a need for understanding is always necessary but there are some absolutes I will hold against my soul until my last waking breath." Ben's words were sure and strong as he rocked forward onto his knees before her, "I will never allow myself to go back to that place again. I will accept the darkness as a part of my soul but I will die before I succumb to it's vapid nature."

"Balance," Rey whispered.

Ben nodded in kind, "Balance," he repeated, his fingertips drawn across her cheek softly, "It may not be an easy path but together maybe," he edged hopefully, "It won't be as hard."

With a sweet smile Rey nodded, "Together," she offered.

She felt as Ben's heart lit up, his mounting fears washed away by renewed hope and intense desire to wrap himself around her. Rey blushed at the realization, feeling his bucking desire press wildly against his restraint. He had never wanted to assume what path they were to walk next but she could feel his hope that they would be on it together. "We do all things, from this point on." she assured him.

"Together." He nodded. And then suddenly, he was gone, on his feet and pacing a few feet away. Rey watched, still and cautious as Ben picked up the stray garments off the floor examining them closely.

"I hope they fit," she offered sheepishly. He was a large man, larger then most she knew and so clothing of that size she knew would be hard to come by on short notice.

Ben smirked as he held up the trousers. The waist would be close enough but the length was a a bit of a gambit. "Better then being damp and cold," he toned as deft fingers began prying at the buttons on his pants. He was toeing off his boots before Rey realized what was happening and before she had the thought process to respond Ben was standing before her in his under shorts and damp sweater. He was by no means modest she realized, her eyes raking slowly over the fine definition of his well sculpted legs.

Without realizing it she was staring at him and if she read the fluctuation in the force accurately, he was enjoying it. Instead of pulling on the pants, Ben grabbed at the hem of his shirt and pulled it up and over his head. Shaking his hair out as it fell from the garment which he then tossed to Rey with a flirtatious grin. Laughing softly to himself as he rubbed his palms together. "Who's the pervert now," he called lightly, throwing a knowing grin in her general direction as he stood just a moment. Long lean legs, pale trim waist that wasn't narrow like some of the men she'd known but broad, flat and muscular. Accented with the faintest smattering of dark hair that disappeared beneath his under shorts. The rest of his chest was oddly hairless, not in a strange way but in a way that made her want to run her fingers over the smooth plain of muscles exploring each divot and curve. As he chuckled softly, she watched the muscles of his abdomen contract in a way that accented their definition deliciously. His arms she decided were just as glorious, thick with lean muscle. Everything about him was just a little larger then life, toned and well worked over years of strenuous lightsaber training and battle.

"Shut up," she pouted teasingly, turning her head away so that she might catch just a glimpse of him out of the corner of her eye, "Put your clothes on and be nice," she teased hastily as Ben set to pulling on the tan trousers. They seemed to be a pair of old Jedi training pants, meant to be worn loose on the leg but decidedly a little more fitted on Ben's over sized form. He cast Rey a bemused grin as he moved to pick up the shirt she had brought for him.

As he carelessly pulled at the thick fabric, another piece of Jedi clothing Rey noted. The small package she had tucked away within fell unceremoniously to the floor. Ben looked quickly as the little brown package landed at his feet, stooping low to pick it up. The shirt temporarily forgotten he turned the object over in his hands, eyeing it suspiciously.

Rey laughed as she rocked back to sit on her backside, "That's your treat!" she cried gleefully, watching as Ben took a quick sniff.

"Is that…?" he asked, his smile like that of a child.

Making a face that said Rey really didn't know what treasure she truly offered she shrugged, "Something called Chocolate?" shaking her head she looked to him to gauge his reaction, "At-Shae said it was hard to come by, it's suppose to be a real treat."

Without hesitation Ben quickly unwrapped the item from its paper confines. It wasn't large, a few bars that looked brown and hard but the look on Ben's face told Rey this was something rare. "You were given this?" he asked sniffing at the brown block again, inhaling long and deep.

Nodding again Rey reached out for a cup taking a quick drink before she set to the platter of meats, cheeses and other foods that Chewbacca had brought for them. Carelessly she popped a small piece of browned meat into her mouth before licking her fingers off, "Yeah, the twi-lek engineer, At-Shae," she said around the food in her mouth rather gracelessly.

Still perplexed by something Ben bent to sit next to Rey, testing the limits of his trousers before he settled into a cross legged position. "A twi gave it to you?" Ben asked taking the faintest nip off the corner of the block. He seemed to hold the bite in his mouth inhaling sweetly as he allowed the taste of it to over ride his senses. Curiously Rey reached out through the force to feel the childish elation which bubbled over through Ben's force signature. He was savouring the taste with such care it seemed a little silly. Such a big deal being made over such a small item of food.

"Yeah," she answered as she picked her way through a number of cheeses, enjoying their sharp smooth taste as she continued to systematically choose, meat, cheese, fruit in that succinct order. Every once and a while taking a drink from a cup filled with mead that Chewbacca had left for them to share. There was decanter filled with the dark honey'd substance left on a crate by the engineering bay door Rey noted gratefully. She was enjoying the way the sweet liquid warmed her insides and set her mind a flutter. She was mid drink when Ben finally turned his attention on her, placing the chocolate on the platter as he grabbed a piece of roasted meat.

Rey growing oddly flustered by the sudden attention jolted slightly, the mead spilling over her lip in an undignified fashion and back into the cup. She giggled to herself as she took another quick mouthful,

"Watcha got there?" Ben crooned playfully trying to snag the cup from Rey's clutches.

Rey, movements mildly clumsy, tried to lean back and away from Ben. Holding her cup in both hands as she playfully took another quick drink, "I don't know," she said, wiping at her mouth with the back of her hand, "But it's fantastic,"

When she finally offered Ben the cup he took a tentative sip and laughed, "Star's End!' he cried, "Ohhhh dear one, no more for you," holding the cup out of reach Rey soon processed what was happening and began crawling up and over Ben's lap swatting at the coveted liquid. "Did you drink all this?" he asked, laughing as he half heartedly held her off.

Rey paused a moment, mulling the question over in her mind, her thoughts coming in sluggish waves, "Uhmmm Yep!"

"Was it full?" Ben asked with some trepidation.

Now pulling at her cowl Rey began muttering something about being warm as she tired with blundering success to pull the thick fabric over her head. She was still positioned haphazardly in Ben's lap her chest moving to press against the heat of his as she reached aimlessly for the cup again. "Might have been," she crooned softly, suddenly aware of how close she was to a very shirtless Ben. Her mind a muddle of thoughts and feelings she looked up at him cautiously, "I think that might have been alcoholic," she told him, the thought pulling at sobriety before Rey found herself awash with dizzying thoughts and sensations.

"And you drank it very quickly," Ben noted with a tone of amusement his hands coming to rest against the arch of Rey's back. "I should get you some water," the thought wasn't a pleasant one. If Ben was found wandering the corridors he would be lucky if he didn't get shot.

Rey, very aware of the trouble that he would be in pushed back a little moving to balance on her knees. The quick change in position awarded her with a bobble headed affect and caused her to teeter to the side. "Force be damned what is that stuff,"

"If I had to guess I'd say silverback mead, it's a wookiee drink, meant to be sipped not gobbled down." Ben laughed softly as he rose to his feet. He rest his hands against Rey's shoulders steadying her gently back onto her bottom. "You stay," he pressed firmly, a finger running down the length of her nose. "Here, please, I'll be quick. crew quarters aren't far, I'll slip in and out, I promise. You just need to make sure you're as quiet as a sunrise ok?"

Rey nodded, placing her finger over her lips as she watched Ben slip through the engineering bay on bare feet. He poked his head into the corridor, looking this way and that before he slipped away, the cup Rey had wanted so desperately clutched in his hand as he went.

With a huff Ray laid back, finding herself atop Ben's make shift bed on the floor. Throwing her arms out on either side of her she closed her eyes and explored the sensation seeping through her body. Tendrils of creeping warmth wound about her belly and into her chest as she steadied her breathing and released a sigh. Without thinking she reached out for the plate of food, her hand absently picking up the block of chocolate. Curiously she held it aloft staring at it before drawing it to her lips and taking a nip off the corner as Ben had. Allowing her hand to fall back against the plate carelessly Rey let the small piece of curious material melt on her tongue. It was like nothing she'd ever experienced before. It wasn't simply the taste of it but the texture as well. It was sweet, creamy in a way like sugar mixed with milk and something else but the texture was like velvet on her tongue. She moaned around the morsel lingering on her taste buds as she swirled it around her mouth absorbing the last of the decadent flavor.

"Well then," Ben said softly as he padded back into the room, a pitcher in hand. He was pouring what Rey was sure was water into a cup as he came to sit at her side.

Eyes hooded with lazy joy she sucked on her tongue a moment before casting him a roguish grin. Had she been of sound mind she might have been a little embarrassed but the mead had dulled her senses and she found herself a little more carefree then normal.

"That has to be the best thing I've ever put in my mouth," she cried softly, propping herself up upon her elbows.

Ben cocked a brow and simply snickered to himself choosing to leave that statement alone. "Here, drink some water," he offered cautiously, holding the cup to her mouth in order to tip it's contents in gently. Rey accepted the cool liquid greedily, some spilling over her chin to drip down her throat as she swallowed carefully. Her eyes found Ben's and watched him with curious intent as she rolled onto her side to pull herself into a kneeling position before him.

"I don't think I should have drank that," she mused to herself. Ben simply nodded in agreement, watching her as she wobbled slightly on her knees. Wookiee mead on a human was potent enough but on a young body who hadn't a lot of experience with alcohol and likely hadn't eaten much was particularly problematic. "It shouldn't have tasted so sweet if it was going to be this dangerous," she complained as she groped for the glass of water and slowly downed the contents, "I feel so warm,"

She was tugging at the corner of her tunic absently trying to fan the material against her skin. When that didn't work Rey began fumbling with the fabric until she had it pulled over her head. Ben, at a loss was trying to encourage her to keep the garment in place but was losing that battle famously. His close position merely granting him the full force of her torso as she launched herself at him. Scrambling so that she found herself seated in his lap, her slender legs resting on either side of his thighs, shins barely able to reach the floor. Her posture unsteady Ben had no other choice but to wrap his arms around her as she slid hers lazily over his shoulders and around his neck.

"Do you feel warm?" she asked, her breath a puff of air against his cheek as her nose nuzzled against it. "you feel really warm," she mumbled to herself her lips tracing an erratic pattern against his jaw line.

Ben found his hands spread broad against the small of her back very grateful for the fact that she had thought to wrap herself in her breast band. A fact he was sure she too would be grateful for in the morning. "Oh… I'm warm," he said offhandedly, his mind trying to focus on anything but the way her chest felt pressed against his or how her backside seemed unsettled, wiggling her hips against his thighs carelessly. Her lips called to him, their touch a sirens song luring him into dark and mirky waters of her mean addled desire. They were soft but a little chapped, and wet as she continuously licked at them.

As her head bobbled some her nose dusted across his cheek her head ducking to his shoulder. Lips absently kissing and force above nipping gently at his bare flesh. She hummed softly against his skin as her finger tips toyed with stray strands of hair falling about the nape of his neck. It was sensation overload, she was everywhere around him, her force energy forging through him, blunt lines of desire and apprehension. Her mouth, her fingers, her force forsaken rear end and the way she groped through the force blindly set his skin alight and she was utterly oblivious.

"Ben…" she said his name like a prayer. Salvation from a life of loneliness and not understanding who she was. Pulling away from his shoulder she looked up at him through hazy eyes. They were large opulent brown pools lined with thick heavy lashes. Her stare was intoxicating, innocent and yet dangerously curious. "Will you promise not to hurt me?" she said softly, almost shyly, catching him off guard. Her meaning was ambiguous at best.

Unsure what to say or do Ben bent forward and pressed his lips against her own in a chaste kiss before drawing back so their foreheads met. "I pray I will never hurt you," he said by way of promise, "I cannot say with certainty but I can promise that…" his words died away, no he couldn't say that, couldn't promise that in this moment.

Rey pouted softly, "Promise what?" she asked sweetly.

Star's end she would be the end of him, "I promise that I will treasure your heart always." he offered, hoping it would be enough.

The answer seemed to appease her, or the mead caused her to loose focus quickly because she was smiling at him now, broad and bright. It was the kind of smile that made stars jealous and moved planets and Ben counted himself lucky in that moment that that smile was all for him.

"You have a beautiful mouth," she said suddenly, one of her arms now resting between them. He hadn't registered the shift in position but her finger tips were drawing a line across the underside of his lower lip and he found himself wishing he had seen it coming. She was all clumsy caresses and soft sweet kisses, utterly unsure of what she was doing or if it was a good idea. Still her hips rocked precariously causing Ben to close his eyes just a moment to focus his resolve. Rey, through her mead muddled mind somehow managed to pick up on Ben's sudden need for space and drew back slightly.

"I'm so sorry," she said suddenly, looking very embarrassed and incredibly unsure of herself all of a sudden. She was scooting back and off his lap so that she sat on the floor in front of him, their knees still touching, "I shouldn't… I was… I'm sorry" she finally said again looking at the ground between her legs, at the floor beside them, anywhere but at Ben.

The suddenly loss of her bodies presence was uncomfortable as he allowed himself a chance to process what had just unfolded. "What?" He started but lost his train of thought as he picked up on the raging fury of her tormented emotions. "Rey, stop," he said suddenly, reaching out for her, "Stop, damnit, come here." And then he was pulling her against him. Her body stilled but allowed itself to be cocooned within his arms. She breathed in the deep scent of him and nuzzled closer.

Soon they were laying against his make shift bed, Ben's arms wound around her as she snuggled closely into his chest. Folding her arms against him she allowed herself to be wrapped up in his embrace, relaxing into the heat his body had to offer. Her breathing slowed to a soft whisper as Ben called to his blankets through the force, dragging them up and over their bodies. She was small and yet so incredibly mighty, her lean arms pressed against him surely. As Ben adjusted his hips Rey took the opportunity to lazily drape one of her knees over his pulling their bodies closer. He could smell the trillium soap and something else, something sweet as he nuzzled hie cheek against the top of her head. In that moment, despite the peculiarity of the events Ben found he couldn't have asked for more.


	6. Chapter 6

_Well then, this really didn't want to happen. I scrapped this chapter three times. This is my fourth rewrite! I wanted to make sure I gave the boys some good face time while keeping to their characters which is where feel like I struggled. I don't think there will be much more passed this, as I previously stated I wrote the end chapter first and it feels like it's growing time to tie it all together. I really appreciate all your kind words and input. It's been brilliant and so utterly up lifting. You are all so marvellous xo_

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Never in her life had Rey experienced such a peaceful state of slumber. Her body hummed with blissful contentment as her body stretched against the strong arms which held her securely. Ben was decidedly a heavy sleeper, his breath falling in small puffs of air that sounded faintly like snoring. Not the full blown bantha stampede type but the soft hitch of an inhalation that sounded like a faint gasp of air. It was real and human and so utterly boring that she loved it. It was such a mundane thought, a partners light snoring that for just a moment she granted herself the opportunity to enjoy their small piece of normality. Soon however, quiet curiosity got the better of her and she found herself carefully leaning back to catch a partial glimpse of his sleeping form.

Ben asleep was like Ben in most aspects of his life, dark and beautiful. His full lips parted just so made that light snoring utterly adorable. His strong lean form wrapping itself protectively around hers felt warm and glorious. Even in sleep his arms managed to make her feel safe and lo…. cared for. With no real desire to move Rey nestled in closely snuggling into the hallow of his throat. Gently she pressed a kiss to the soft flesh decorating his collarbone, eliciting a sleepy groan and a shift in positions from Ben. He didn't wake, but wrapped his arms more securely around her small form housing her within his warmth. Already buried beneath a pile of blankets Rey didn't remember being present the night before, she sighed and idly allowed her fingers to trace smooth circular patterns against his pec muscle. Delighted he hadn't bothered to put on a shirt she marvelled at the way his skin felt against her fingers, her arms, her stomach.

Her stomach?

Suddenly very aware of her current state of undress Rey stiffened as the events that lead up to their current position washed over her. Slightly mortified Rey felt as the force around her faltered. Like a child stumbling down the stairs she fell through the emotions feeling everything in a confusing haze. Her mental struggle sent a ripple thought the force which seemed to nudge at Ben's sleeping consciousness. He mumbled something faintly and pressed his nose into the top of her head. Nuzzling it sweetly he placed a kiss against her brow, eyes still closed in a state of peaceful happiness. "Mmmmm, morning," he mumbled softly, soaking up the feeling of her body pressed tightly against his. She could feel his casual exploration of each unique sensation through the force around them. It was the faintest graze of fingertips drawing over the seem of where their bodies connected. As though testing the boundaries of their closeness.

"Hello," Rey said softly, her voice still mildly sleep addled. She was reluctant to move, her mind in a state of easy serenity. Beyond the confines of their small metal hold was the real world, a world which rejected their budding relationship. They feared what they didn't understand and denied the idea that Ben could be anything more then the soulless king of darkness.

Getting up meant facing that world, a world where they would be separated and judged. Getting up meant leaving the confines of his warm embrace in favour of accusatory glances and further arguments. Getting up seemed like a very bad idea.

Ben, picking up on that line of thought gave Rey a soft squeeze before he pulled back just slightly, allowing enough space for him to gaze down at her happily. His eyes were heavily laden with sleep. Dark depthless pools that normally looked so brown they almost seemed black normally now revealed themselves to be a beautiful hazel. The color reminded her of Corellian whisky, the way it adapted to the light just so.

With a smile he rolled onto his back, one arm still happily trapped beneath Rey as the other ran a hand through his hair a few times. It was a motion that was decidedly very Ben. The change in position caused their blankets to shift a little and fall away, allowing Rey a better view of his pale skin beneath the bright lights of the hold. Sliding just a little closer she placed her hand against his sternum and rest her chin atop it. Ben's arms drew her closer practically rolling her petite form over top him in a smooth and fluid motion. Rey found it east to settle into the position, her knees coming to rest on either side of his hips. He kept his touch innocent, a soft trailing of fingertips along the back side of her arm, up and over her triceps, then back down again. The feel of his touch was electric, humming through the force in a low pitched vibration that set her skin alight.

His presence was all encompassing and yet restrained. He toyed with the way his light fluctuated against the darkness, allowing the two to meld in ways that gave Rey small glimpses into his more private mind scape. She found herself dipping into that pool of shadows herself, finding a deep need seated at its core, not the fear and hatred she had been expecting. Darkness, like the light was multilayered and fascinating. It's pull a dangerous call that must be met with cautious answer.

She was worried at first, the way he pulled at the shadows around him. She reached out into it with warm tendrils of curious light. When the darkness didn't shirk away from her exploration she allowed it to lap at her force energy delicately, like a loth-cat winding it's way about your legs. Neither spoke, nor moved. They communicated through the force, allowing their energies to crash and wander through and over one another. His darkness was warm, not cold as she had expected. There was a passion there that begged for her light to meet it. Jedi were not permitted worldly attachments, they weren't allowed to marry or have children for passion opened a door for fear and hatred. How stilted their mindsets had been. As Rey explored the depths of this connection she felt the warm coiling darkness of his passion wind itself around her, not suffocating her light but enhancing its brightness. Curiously she toyed with the sensation, his dark need unyielding while her bright light shown with the luminescence of a super nova.

Her breathing began falling in rapid puffs as their energies connected and stilled. It was glorious the way passion met need in an eruption of colors and blinding light. Without warning Ben shifted their positions, Rey's back suddenly against the floor as his strong form hovered over her watching through eyes clouded with a need to understand and discover. He was hesitant and yet insistent, his body a hard line of muscle and deep thrumming energy. She found him, nestled between her legs, holding himself up on his elbows and forearms as his face found itself now precariously close to her own. Their noses touched, feather light and testing, his lips a breath away, holding enough space so that he could lose himself within her eyes.

"What is this," he practically growled. Rey found herself unable to answer, lost on the current of light and dark dancing and swirling around on another. She focused on her breathing for fear she might crumble should she focus anywhere else. "Do you feel it?"

Weakly she nodded, watching as he closed his eyes, their noses sliding against one another softly. He became wrapped up in the sensation, slowly becoming lost as the dark began to pull and tug at him with deeper insistence. Rey felt as he slipped a little, her light wrenching after him. When his eyes opened moments later they were a haze of dark unbridled desire. He looked almost dangerous in that moment sparking a level of panic in Rey she was afraid to admit. His body pressed a little firmer against hers, more then she was prepared for and she gasped. Her apprehension fluttered along the force, a soft trickle and then, as he smiled with predatory fierceness it became a furious torrent of fear. The sensation hit him hard and he drew back, shaking himself off. Rey simply blinked, breathing steady as she gave him space to adjust.

She could feel as embarrassment wavered through the force, Ben's control had slipped. The darkness that he had wound about them had seized him quickly and he had fallen with it allowing his light and adoration to become mottled and manipulated by his baser instincts. There was room for the two but it would take time to find the balance within the force.

Gently she raised her hand to press against his cheek. Drawing a knuckle across the surprisingly soft scape of his jawline she playfully snatched at his ear lobe and gave it a playful tweak between her thumb and forefinger. Ben's eyes drew wide and with a chuckle he delved into her neck, worshiping it in a fury of quick pecking kisses. Caught unaware Rey squealed and that was when all hell broke loose.

They had been so swept up in one another that neither had noticed when they were no longer alone. It happened fast, Finn was on Ben's back trying to wrestle him off Rey as Poe torn between shock and fury drew his blaster pistol and readied it to fire. The force around Ben bucked and raged as his eyes found Rey's with a look of defeated surrender. Finn held Ben's arms behind his back as Poe levelled his gun and Rey cried out in agitation.

Both of her friends seemed to forget she was even there as they marvelled at their triumph, subduing the great Kylo Ren. "Not so tough with a gun held to your head," Poe muttered venomously. The act was asinine, their win had granted them a false sense of bravado. How quickly they seemed to forget the power Ben wielded without needing a weapon. Rey could feel the tempest of his emotions struggling beneath the wall he kept carefully in place. His instincts were telling him to lash out, to crush them, to over power the aggressors but still he kept his eyes trained on her. He was using her as an anchor, holding himself against her steadying light as the darkness groped and grabbed at him.

He was silent, he was still, his arms wrenched back uncomfortably behind his back as Finn held him tight. The sight would have been laughable, like watching two little boys play soldier if it wasn't so utterly dangerous.

"What do you think you're doing?!" Rey cried finally, "What has he done to deserve this?"

Finn turned his head looking her over. The sheets she clung to her chest fell just a little showing exposed shoulders and sleep mussed hair. Her lips she could feel were swollen, her neck warm and possibly a little red from Ben's delightful attack just moments prior. He had the decency to look away when he realized what was happening. Eyes on the back of Ben's head, then to Poe as if trying to silently communicate what they had failed to pick up on.

His hold on Ben shifted some allowing for Ben's shoulders to relax against their position. Still Poe held his pistol aimed and steady, reluctant to shift his position at all. "Put the gun down Poe, Now," Rey demanded, her friends eyes turning to her a moment then back to their captive. She could see how easily his thoughts tumbled into madness, the way the force shifted around him, growing darker around it's edges. "Poe," she warned stiffly, his sudden descent into the dark was making her very nervous. Ben could sense it too, the muscles in his neck tensed as he readied himself for an attack.

Things were about to get very dangerous if someone didn't stand down. Ben's patience was waning, like a fuse lit and ready to blow. As Poe looked to Rey once more, finally seeing what it was Finn had been trying to communicate subtly. He turned, the gun moving with him, sliding off of Ben and onto Rey without realizing it. "What are you doing?" he asked, his hold on the weapon loosening some.

But all Ben saw was a gun shifting towards Rey and his resolve snapped. Finn was thrown back, stunned as he stumbled against the force of an unseen assailant. Poe hadn't time to respond as Ben struck his gun hand. There was a crack and the clattering sound of metal hitting the floor. Poe cried out, nursing his wrist which was injured in the impact while Ben placed himself between Rey and her friends, effectively shielding her from attack.

Poe was cursing as Finn approached, looking at the injured appendage carefully, "I think it may be broken," he said calmly, his fingers moving over the area as Poe hissed and recoiled from the touch. "Yep, definitely broken," Finn assessed casting a look towards Rey and Ben.

Ben looked wild, like a loth-wolf ready to attack, his shoulders set in a line of hard defiance, determined to shield Rey from any harm. Her hand came down on his shoulder gently and he tensed beneath it's touch before relaxing. Turning to face her, he hovered over her, eyes searching her face as his hand raised to draw delicately across her cheek. With calm reassurance she brought her hand up to hold against his for just a moment treating him to a warm smile before she pushed away and stood up.

Finn suddenly found everything in the room that wasn't Rey incredibly interesting while Poe stared at her in open defiance. "What is this?" he demanded as Ben rose to his feet coming to stand at Rey's back.

With a shake of her head and a slight eye roll Rey approached Poe, "It's us," she stated simply, "Now give it," she gestured towards the wrist he was cradling against his body. His dark eyes watched her with a level of distrust that stung just a little. They shared a quiet stalemate before he held out the injured wrist and watched her place gentle hands over it. A hushed whisper fell over the room as Rey inhaled slowly and wove delicate tendrils of her force energy through the damaged bone. Poe's wrist grew warm beneath her touch and the anguish on his face dissipated.

"Thanks," he muttered, Ben behind them had picked up her shirt and was handing it to her as Finn eyed him carefully.

"So, this is a thing now, you're a thing?" he asked awkwardly. Ben shrugged while Rey shot him an exasperated look. She made fast work of pulling on her tunic, adjusting the leather ties in the process.

"I suppose there's a lot to explain," she gave by way of answer, watching Ben as he set to work finding his own shirt in the pile of blankets that had previously been their bed. Poe was making a face that said he didn't want to hear any of it while Finn looked like he might vomit. Rey was growing tired of all this foolishness and was prepared to put an end to it once and for all.

"No, no not really," Poe was back to stubborn opposition as he flexed his fingers and tested his newly healed wrist. "I think it's all pretty straight forward, he has you under that force manipulation… thing," grasping at straws, he looked to Finn for support.

"He doesn't," Finn told him sadly, he seemed to loathe that he had to give Ben credit for that but Finn was never a good liar.

Looking increasingly annoyed Poe wheeled around on Finn, "And how would you know that?" he cried looking a mix of hurt and betrayed.

Rey swatted at Poe and grumbled, "Smarten up!" to which Finn gestured knowingly. "Why can't you pull your head out of your cockpit and just listen to us," gesturing between herself and Ben Rey pleaded with Poe, beseeching her dear friend to give her the benefit of the doubt. He didn't need to trust Ben but he should trust her.

Poe pursed his lips and took a steadying breath before he hollered, "He tortured me Rey! He tortured me, he tortured you, he tried to kill us and you're canoodling with him now so we should just trust it?"

It was Ben who spoke next, pulling his shirt lazily down over his shoulders. Rey noticed he went with his old black ripped piece of clothing instead of the new tunic she had provided for him. Probably the best, it would do no good to look like an over grown man child while fighting this battle, "Do you want an apology?" he asked quietly, testing the limits of Poe's patience.

With a chastising look cast over her shoulder in his direction Rey spoke his name softly. It was a nudge for him to rise above the situation at hand but Ben had done an awful lot of rising and received an awful lot of grief for his exercise in control. Still, for Rey he yielded. That was of course until Poe turned his attack on her.

Ben felt the shift in the force first, the hallow darkness that welled around Poe was unmistakable. His ire wound itself around each of them, tugging harshly at their resolve. He made himself fill the room without realizing it, his emotions raging and confused. He was hurt, he was angry and most violent of all he felt disrespected and betrayed by Rey. She didn't seem to notice the shift, still fighting against the hurt she felt over their lack of trust. Cautiously Ben reached out to take her hand but the action did not go unnoticed by her friends. Still, his fingers wound into hers as he made himself into a wall at her back.

"What I want," Poe seethed, "Is for you to pay for everything you've done, for everyone we've lost." he meant Leia they both realized quickly. Ben grew still, Rey looked unsure but Poe took the opportunity to press forward, "I want you to stop preying on our friend. I want her to stop acting like some love struck fool and start acting like the fighter we know her to be,"

The force around Ben grew dark and thick. Rey gave his hand a gentle squeeze trying to assuage his mounting fury but the darkness sang to him of revenge and protecting the one he cared for. She knew the song well, it had lulled her into a state of rage and fear before but Ben and Leia had saved her from it. Ben's hold on the light was tenuous at best, the dark was a comfort to him, something he knew well.

"Stop," she found herself crying out, "Stop, STOP," She threw herself against the force, a light erupting through the darkness. Finn and Ben both looked thoroughly shocked while Poe crinkled his nose, annoyed at being chastised.

"No, you know what," he stepped forward drawing himself up, his chest puffed slightly, "You stop." pointing his finger in her face now he chewed his lip giving his head a faint shake, "Stop being so stupid," Eyes wide Rey stared at him as he continued, "I know the concept of family is a little foreign to you but I thought we were in this fight together. You've betrayed us, you've betrayed Leia and you've betrayed our chance for peace."

A sharp inhalation of air came from over Rey's shoulder as Ben squeezed her hand. He was trying desperately to maintain control but the wall he had built up was now crumbling down around them. His eyes were dark and furious as he moved to stand in front of Rey. She struggled and tried to pull him back but this was one time he wasn't prepared to listen. Hovering over Poe like a wampa ready to attack it's prey he steadied himself and spoke. "You need to take it down a notch," when Poe baulked and prepared himself for retort Ben pointed the ole Solo finger directly in Poe's line of sight, "You can hate me, you can want me dead, I deserve that and worse," he agreed, Poe sneered, "But, what you will not do is treat her like that again."

Finn was watching with an air of curiosity his head cocked to the slide in quiet observation. Rey seemed to want to pull Ben back but his shoulders were set stone and he was not budging for anyone now. Ben could feel her apprehension wriggle down through the force but she was the only thing that mattered to him now. He was alive because they were connected. Every possibility, every opportunity, every laugh, smile, hug and more he owed to her and that glorious light which pulsated at her very core.

When Poe didn't snap back, Ben relaxed some, dropping the finger he had jammed in Poe's face. He turned to Rey with a sad sort of smile before ducking to kiss her on the forehead, his free hand moving to cup the back of her neck and base of her head. His lips were warm, sweet and filled with promises.

"Maybe we should listen…" Finn's hesitant suggestion caused the General to panic a little. He was gesturing widely with his arms in utter disbelief but Rey could feel the darkness slipping away.

"Poe, please," Rey pushed, her force energy winding around Poe in a vein attempt to sooth his ire, "Leia,"

"Don't!" Poe growled.

Still Rey pushed, "Leia gave her life in one last attempt to save her son," Poe was glowering at her, General Organa meant a lot to everyone in this hold but Poe seemed to owe her more then most. Or so he felt. Rey couldn't help but feel giving Ben life was a pretty big thing but then Rey recalled At-Shae's words. She didn't know Poe's story. "We all lost someone important when Leia passed," she hedged. Ben stiffened but she gave his hand a reassuring squeeze as she continue on. "You cared for her, we all did. Im not playing the who's hurt more game here, I'm just stating facts. The reality is though, She was a force within the Force. I think likely even stronger then Luke himself. She fought, she won some, lost many and still she stood up for something far greater then any one person. She knew her son's soul was good, she knew he could be saved and you dishonour her memory by not trusting in her death as you did in her life."

Finn looked to Poe, coming to stand by his friends side in silent support. When Poe didn't respond Finn chanced, "Rey has a point,"

Encouraged by this Rey pressed on, "I'm not asking you to be his best friend, I'm only asking that you hear his side," she paused as she looked to Ben, "Our side."

Irritation bubbled to the surface again as Poe shrugged out of Finn's embrace. He scrunched his nose and shook his head back in agitation, "Why do you have to do that?" he asked harshly, "Why is it now always you two together?" gesturing between the two of them with an over turned hand Poe grumbled to himself as though afraid to say what he knew was coming next. He didn't want to admit to something, "It use to be us, we were a family."

Ah, Jealousy and hurt.

Taken aback by this Rey stepped towards Poe quickly, "We are a family," she pressed. Moving until she stood directly in front of Poe, Rey forced him to look her in the eye. They were approximately the same height but for a small variance so when she looked at him, their gaze met instantly. Stubbornly he hesitated, his brown eyes marred by his own private emotional pain. He was torn between hollering some more and wrapping her up in a hug. He wanted so desperately to fight and yet more then anything he wanted to give in and forgive. "If you would stop fighting for just one second you would see." she said softly, gesturing between she and Ben, "This doesn't make us less family, he's lost too."

When it looked like Poe was about to draw back, Finn swooped in, crushing his two friends together in a tight embrace. He held them there, steady and solid, his arms winding around both of their necks. "Family doesn't always get along Poe," he said softly, giving them the faintest of squeezes as the other two wound their arms into the embrace. "You ran spice, we still love you," he said with a chuckle earning him a soft cuff to the back of the head.  
"Can't let that one go, can you?" Poe growled jovially as they released Rey and he looped his arm more firmly around Finn's head, hauling him down as he rubbed his knuckles against Finn's crown playfully.

Rey giggled as she took a step back and away from the flailing boy arms to find herself pressed against Ben's solid form. When he had moved closer she couldn't be sure but she was glad for his presence. A large hand came to rest at her shoulder as she placed her own over top of it with a squeeze.

Poe and Finn were flailing now, Finn trying to gain purchase as Poe wrestled against him to maintain dominance. It was nice to see him smile, actually smile. Poe was all business all the time, he fought with everything he had, he sacrificed his own comfort, his own safety, his own life for the cause and was rewarded with the most epic victory in the galaxy and yet still his face was drawn in a hard line. They had won, they had survived and still he couldn't let it go. "You don't have to hold us all together Poe," Rey called with a quiet smile, "If you let go, we won't float away. We have so much more work to do and we'll need help," looking up at Ben she smiled, a fond grin which he returned.

Finn gained leverage, grabbing at Poe's legs as his assailant held on firmly to his head, Pulling up on one of Poe's legs he caused the man to loose his balance hopping on one foot. They looked like two young cadets fresh from flight academy, not a pair of resistance Generals responsible to defeating the Final Order. Still, joy was a good look for them. Poe was laughing loudly as he hopped, Finn's arms now wound around Poe's thigh as he continued to pull blindly with his head lost in the x wing pilots aggressive embrace. There was a sudden cry and Poe was grabbing at Finn's ear while the other seemed to pinch at Poe's legs, grabbing the sensitive flesh of his inner thigh rather harshly. Like a pair of little boys they fought, poking and jarring at each other, squabbling loudly as they went.

As the noise rose, like a pair of bantha in heat, Chewie poked his head into the engineering bay. Whether he was surprised to see it was Poe and Finn mucking about and not a squabble involving Ben, the wookiee gave no indication. He instead stood with his arms crossed against his chest and watched as the scene continued to unfold. Poe was hollering "Yield"

Finn crying, "Never!" as they bumped into crates and knocked back against the Millennium Falcon's sublight engines.

With a howling chatter Chewbacca strolled over to the two men pretzeled together. He grabbed each by the collar of his jacket and pulled them apart hastily. Due to his formidable size when Chewie pulled them apart, holding them at a distance neither of their feet managed to grace the ground. Poe cast the wookiee a sardonic look while Finn swung and flailed trying with all his might to get at Poe. Chewie warbled and chuffed as he set the two on the ground and the air in the hold was remarkably lighter. Finn swung to cuff Poe in the back of the head only to be awarded with a similar gesture offered up by Chewie. Poe laughed as he brushed off his pants and his jacket sleeves idly before turning to Rey and Ben.

They stood a unified front, Ben's hands pressed with protective force against Rey's shoulder as his force signature wound around her tightly. It thrummed against hers, wavering and winding until they were melded into a singular wave that caused the light around them to glow just faintly. Poe sneered slightly as Chewbacca nodded his head in their direction letting out a growling yip.

Rey smiled, "No more mead…" she said loftily Chewie letting out a chuffing laugh in response.

It was Poe however who sobered the situation, his eyes locked on Ben and Rey, where their bodies touched. He seemed to follow the invisibly cords which wrapped around them possessively joining them together, linking their bond on a deep and intimate level. "So…" he called as Finn and Chewie came to flank him, "Tell us the story, make us understand."

Sharing a knowing look both Rey and Ben let out a soft sigh before they set in on the tale of their force connection, where it started, how it had been manipulated. They spoke of Luke's failings as a teacher and Ben's up bringing much to the dismay of Poe. Eventually they came around to Rey and her lineage. She was hesitant at first to explain but so much had been laid bare that when she started, she simply couldn't stop. Everything came in waves and still her friends listened. They spoke of their fight with Palpatine, their struggle to survive and how they had made it off Exegol together. Her friends listened without contempt or judgement, asking quick but intelligent questions when necessary and giving them the credit they were due.

They offered honesty in it's truest form and were rewarded with a patient albeit hesitant understanding. It was a start, a rocky one but a start non the less.


	7. Chapter 7

_I'm not entirely sure how I feel about this, I like it, I love it, and then I question why Im even posting it. I've read it and re-read it and now you know what? I'm putting it out to all of you lovelies. Obviously I have no experience in space, I have a general understanding of generalized things but I'm hoping what I've written makes sense in terms of the mechanics and logistics of it all. If not then I hope it's at the very least entertaining! Thank you all for your kind words and reviews, the warm my heart and spur me on with fierce determination. Hope you enjoy lovelies xo_

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"Where did they come from? They're everywhere!" Finn's voice cried over the distant sound of TIE's screaming passed them.

They were on their way to meet the newly forming senate to decide the fate of Ben Solo when they were suddenly ambushed by a hand full of TIE's and a old Star Destroyer. They'd known there were still remnants of the old fleet scattered across the system but they hadn't expected them to band together so quickly.

Rey set to flipping switches as Chewie let out a bellowing bark, "What do you mean the hyperdrive is offline?" she cried as the wookie waved his arms in the air angrily and growled with intense vigour. "We have to get it back up!" over stating the obvious she cringed at the sound of desperation in her own voice.

Finn was hovering over her seat peering out the window, his eyes cast to the never ending black before them. He watched TIE fighter after TIE fighter in search for their resistance allies. "Come on… come on…" he muttered to himself though practically screamed it in Rey's ear as he continued to invade her space with his worrying.

"Why are you not on the quad guns?!" Rey cried, swatting Finn away from her seat. She was needed at the controls with Chewie but even then someone needed to be fixing the hyperdrive. Suddenly very overwhelmed with their current state of desperation and a very clear lack of help she turned to Chewie, "I'm letting him out,"

Chewie squawked, he was chuffing and yipping when a set of TIE's screamed passed, coming around to open fire. The Falcon shook as they hit their mark and Rey pressed wide eyed. "Poe's not here," she bit out venomously, "We need him, he knows the ship doesn't he?"

Finn and Chewie shared a look, neither seemed prepared to fight this loosing battle and the longer they argued the fact the more likely they would be blown to bits. Rey looked between them, challenging them, waiting for more protest, a better answer, anything. When none was provided she bolted from her seat and tore off down the hallway. The ship pitched and swung around under Chewbacca's expert control, but Rey's footing slipped and she collided with the doorframe of the engineering bay.

With a groan she pushed herself forward and entered the room trying to steady herself. Ben was sitting cross legged on the floor. If he was attempting to meditate he was picking a lousy time to do so. His eyes however were open and wide. He had picked up on Rey's panic them minute the Star Destroyer had come out of light speed and was waiting on pins and needles.  
"What is it? What happened?" he said as he jumped to his feet. He came to the vibrating fencing pressing his hand against the rippling blue. "Rey, tell me what's going on."

Without a word Rey slammed herself into the paneling that controlled Ben's temporary cage. She pressed the buttons, nothing happened. She pressed them again, sure she had gotten the key code correct. Still nothing happened. With a groan of frustration Rey looked to Ben, "We're under attack." she told him, then set to the keypad again.

"Poe changed it before he left," Ben said softly. He was reaching out to her through the force surrounding her with calm and serenity. Her panic was like a live wire snapping and ready to take anyone out who got to close. The last few days had been difficult but manageable. They had been able to hide within their little bubble of self imposed exile but now the stakes were high.

Banging her fist against the rippling blue fencing Rey let out a wild growl, "Oh of course he did," she cried. She would deal with Poe later, for now she needed to get Ben out and… The Falcon pitched and shook again. Without thinking Rey ran to the doorway of the engineering bay and hollered, "Finn get your ass down to those quad guns!"

She could hear as he clambered down the hallway, his feet carrying him quickly as BB-8 chirped and whined. Finn groaned and then there was a loud clattering. Whatever it was Rey didn't have time for. When she returned to electric bars of Ben's jail, she locked eyes with him sending him her line of intent down through the force. With a nod, he placed his hand on the flickering blue, watching as Rey did the same. Another shake, an explosion this time and Rey shook her head trying to focus.

It wasn't as easy as before, her attention was everywhere at once but as se felt Ben reaching out to her through the force her breathing steadied. His force signature wound around her calming the torrent of panic that was eddying about. She reached out, found the space between the vibrations and Ben on the other side. Focusing on him and only him their force energy wound together, the world erupting in white hot light and the electronic fencing faded away.

Rey grabbed for Ben's hand and drug him down the corridors. Finn was no where to be found but the sound of the Falcon's quads firing erupted around them in a symphony of chaotic beats. Force be praised.

"Chewie go," Rey urged as she pushed Ben into her seat as copilot shimmying passed Chewie as the wookiee lumbered down the hallway with a growl. Ben looked around, familiarizing himself with the controls, turning to Rey with a grin.

"We got this," he told her confidently, and they set to their task. They worked like dancers, meeting the ebb and flow of one another thought patterns with a synchronicity that was breath taking. The Falcon wound around at a speed of which Rey had never seen the likes of. She was an old ship but had the heart of freighter fresh off the line. Finn's cheers could be heard from the gunners seat as a blast of laser fire struck down one of the TIE's pursuing them.

"Engage gravity in the engineering bay, refocus all other power to shields," Rey instructed Ben. Pulling hard on the steering the Falcon arced back, and looped around moving with the ease of an X-wing. She'd always loved this ship, the moment they had bested the first order on Jakku just she and Finn she had fallen for it. It hummed and purred in blissful contentment as Ben set to flicking switches and pressing a few buttons. The old freighter lived for this. She may have been built to haul cargo but she was a fighter and thrived on the excitement of the chase.

As Rey started to push her forward, swerving in and around a number of smaller moons laser fire blasted over head and a TIE tore through space hurtling towards the moons surface. Rey arched, looking up and around the blackened expanse of space as resistance X-wings popped into orbit. "Thank the Force," Rey muttered as pulled on her com head piece and tuned to their known frequency, "Poe!" she cried as Poe's voice crackled over the speaker.

"There you are, we weren't sure what could have held you up," his voice was calm and without any real concern, "Looks like you started a party without us."

Arrogant Poe, always cocky when he was sitting in an X wing ready to blow something up. Who was she kidding, he was cocky most of the time, but when it came to flying, his inflated ego, she hated to admit was warranted. "They were ready for us. We have to change the location of the meeting,"

"Chandrilla," Ben offered quietly, careful to keep his voice low and off Poe's radar.

Rey nodded once in confirmation as she pipped up over the com, "Chandrilla maybe?"

They were met with the static of dead air as Poe's X wing swooped over head opening fire on an incoming TIE. The destroyer was launching more fighters just as fast as their RED squadron could pick them out of the air. TIE's and X wings wound around one another in a heated chase. What the first order's soldiers lacked in accuracy they made up in numbers. The sheer size of their expendable fleet was mind boggling, as though they were throwing credits down a well hoping for a wish.

Ben groaned, "They won't stop unless we take down the destroyer," he said knowingly. It was a task easily enough discussed but much more difficult to execute with their meagre fighting force.

"I'm open to suggestions," Rey said, voice strained as she pushed hard against the falcons throttle and wove her left and then right through a barrage of TIE fire. She was sweeping the Falcon under the destroyer, pulling her up from behind the hulking metal beast when a TIE hit its mark and the falcon shuddered dangerously. "Shields!" Rey cried

"Permission to man the secondary quad guns?" She could feel Ben's plan formulating through the force. She'd have to pilot the Falcon on her own but as long as she kept her quick and agile they'd be ok. Ben just needed a few minutes and the right angle and he was sure he could take down the destroyer leaving the TIE's helpless and much easier to pickoff.

With a hand placed on Ben's knee, and a light squeeze she urged him to get to it, "Go," she cried, adding in a mildly flirtatious tone, "This only works if you're a good shot,"

Swooping in to place a kiss on the top of Rey's head Ben grinned roguishly and took off down the corridor leaving her to man the controls all on her own. It wasn't impossible but it wasn't easy either. She had to time her executions just right otherwise Ben's plan was pointless. Jumping up she cut power to the thrusters, slowing the Falcon so that the TIE on their tail sped passed. Poe got one while Finn was able to take out the other, she kicked it up a notch and swung the ship around banking hard right and then a wide left.

The radio hissed and Poe's voice erupted into the air, "Rey, you flying that thing?"

"Little busy right now Poe," she chimed, "We have a Destroyer to take down. Cover us will you!" It was a demand not a question. Anyone else might balk at giving a resistance general orders but Rey had bigger things on her mind.

She reached out through the force feeling Ben settle into the spare gunner's rack. There was a child like wonder that radiated from him as he poured over the controls and reacquainted himself with the touchy nature of the Falcon's artillery. After a few easy shots Ben sung out to Rey through the force. It was time to make these first order morons realize who they were dealing with.

"We don't need to take it down, we just need to immobilize it," Poe's voice crackled as his X wing looped around and opened fire on the Destroyers hull.

Not in the mood to argue, Rey kicked the Falcon back angling her against the Destroyers stern. She could feel Ben whoop as he opened a few shots on the rear thrusters. He spoke to her without words, images and feelings bursting along their connection encouraging her next move. "Poe, get RED squadron to open fire on the thrusters," Rey commanded.

"What?" came the straggled response, "Little busy with these TIE's" he groaned

"And they're just going to keep coming, there are far more of them then there are of us, that's why we need to take down that destroyer!" Rey looped the Falcon back around and Ben opened another barrage of fire on the Destroyers thrusters. A TIE screamed passed, taken out by one of the other RED team crashing into the back side of the Destroyer in a ball of fire

As Rey was preparing for another arc BB-8 rolled in twittering and beeping widely. The little droid was rocking back and forth trying desperately to find balance as it's head swirled around. "What do you mean we've lost one of the engines?" BB-8 whined and whirred letting out a high pitched series of beeps, "I know you didn't have anything to do with it,"

Then came Poe's voice again, "You need to jump to light speed!" he commanded. Everything was coming at her at once. The Falcon's hull groaned irritably under the strain of the constant bucking and swerving. Her computer systems started to beep mercilessly confirming what BB-8 had just relayed to be true. The old freighter was being pushed too hard, she had survived the battle with the Final Order and she needed a good working over. They just hadn't had the time, or been given the time. The galaxy was desperate to hold someone accountable for the actions of the Final Order and Ben Solo was to be tried as a war criminal. That was more important then taking the time to make sure their fleet was in working order. That was more important then celebrating peace.

This was the problem with the galaxy, they were too focused on the next best thing to really sit back and realize when there was something to be happy about. Always pointing fingers, always ready to blame someone else. With the Final Order gone, they no longer had a unified mission. The systems would spiral out of control in a matter of years and then the infighting would start again, a need for rule and the cycle would renew itself. Rey saw the path of it as clear as she saw the star Destroyer before them. Ben's gentle reassurance reached out and stroked at her ire, he was trying to gently focus her on the task at hand but her frustration had reached a boiling point and she called out to Ben.

"New plan," She chirped over the com system pulling the Falcon back. She swept up in an arc, upside down, twirling away from the fighting, giving them space. "Poe you cover us,"

"What?!" can his stunned response.

"Just do it!"

Ben returned with Chewie in tow, the Wookiee looking wary. His fur was smoking in some places, pupils dilated as he shook himself off and warbled curiously. It was obvious the hyperdrive wasn't operational and would need far more attention. Trying to work on it in the middle of all this had put too much strain on the Falcon's systems and caused her to blow an engine. Poor Chewie looked like he needed a break. Rey happily turned over her seat at the control to her friend steadying herself against Ben as she stood. The Falcon pitched to the left as Chewie brought her back under control and waited for instruction.

"We're going to pull it down," She told Ben, holding onto his forearm with a tight grip.

Chewie cried out as Ben's eyes drew wide, "What?"

She knew he had heard her but repeated herself anyway, "We're going to pull it down, pull it right out of the sky."

Ben, was shaking his head as he played over the logistics of her plan in his mind, "We're in space though there's no atmosphere to use as leverage." Still his mind skipped along her line of thought, dark eyes searching hers as if the answers lie etched on pools of earthy brown. "We create the resistance." He answered himself, a grin blossoming as Rey's hold on his arm tightened in glee, "We'd have to do it from the boarding ramp though, we'd need as little interference as possible."

Rey turned to Chewie for confirmation, "You can hold us steady for long enough?" Chewbacca's response was less then comforting as he chirped and barked his protest. "We can extend the shields to protect us from the vacuum," Rey knew she sounded a little more hopeful then she did sure but she knew this would work. It had to.

She could feel Ben running the logistics over and over again, he had come to the same conclusion she had. Their firepower wasn't enough to blow the Destroyers engine, they'd need to try something else. Granted a Destroyer was much large then a transport and that had ended rather poorly but she had learned a lot in the small amount of time since Pasaana. Now she had Ben at her side, their balance through the force was a power within itself. Wasn't it?

It didn't matter, they were down a hyperdrive and an engine, what choice did they have? An X wing hurtled passed them, rolling over itself in a ball of fire. The Destroyer was opening fire itself now, this was their only opportunity.

With a resigned sigh Ben took Rey's hand, "Let's do this," he said, his voice firm and confident as they took off towards the boarding ramp and the wide vacuum of space. Chewie was quick to work, he'd extended the shield focusing all back up power on their defence. The Falcon's lights flickered some, that wasn't a good sign. They didn't have long, this had to work.

Rey's mind rocked from possibility to possibility suddenly very unsure of her own plan. Ben gave her hand a light squeeze and wound his force signature around hers in humming support. When the ramp dropped there was a sound like someone sucking hard through a straw, then silence. X wing fire sounded loudly as Poe chased off a number of TIE's from the Falcon's stationary position.

"We can do this," Ben told her calmly. He turned so that he stood facing her, stepping close so that there was barely a space between them. Taking his hands, Rey pressed her forehead to his and focused herself. Ben followed suit, allowing the energy of the force to shift and spin around them. Rey could feel Ben's breathing, his heart beat, the sound of his thoughts as they skipped along reaching out for her own. She matched the sound of it, the feel of it finding the space between their force signatures and allowing them to slide together. They fit like puzzle pieces clicking into place. Their energy a bigger picture to a greater whole as it wove and undulated around them in a peaceful harmonized synchronicity.

They inhaled and exhaled as one. The only thing that existed in that moment was their unified heart beat. Reaching out together, their arms raised in unison they pulled. There was a loud guttural groan and they pulled again, harder this time. The Destroyer let out a loud keening whine, metal tearing apart as it slowly shifted from it's place. Sweat beaded along their brow as Ben clawed his fingers, Rey soon following.

Their X wings swung around like sharks always on the move, pulling away from the behemoth of a metal structure as explosions rippled along a line of tension across the structures top. The void of space relayed everything in slow motion as Ben and Rey focused and pulled. They wound their force energies around one another and leaned back against it, separating the air and space around the Destroyer in one last pitched effort as the hulking mass split down the middle like a seam letting go.

Releasing their hold on the destitute ship, Rey collapsed first, Ben dropping to his knees beside her. He would his arms around her and drug her back and off of the drop ramp as Finn skidded to a halt before them. "Get Chewie… pull up… ramp," Ben bit out through heavily panted breaths. Rey was shaking beneath the effort but rest against him helplessly. They'd done it, somehow.

Together through the force they could accomplish immense feats. Her body sung with wear and warmth as as Ben pulled her tight against him. He nuzzled the top of her head with his cheek and rocked a little as she wound her arms around him. Sleep or something akin to it tugged at her consciousness whispering to her of sweet and peaceful quiet. Her body ached, sore but elated as a remnant of their power slammed into her. It rose against the tide of the force winding through her muscles before it snuffed itself out and sweet warm nothingness overtook them both.


	8. Chapter 8

_Well... here it is. This is the chapter that started this whole thing. I can't even remember at this point what prompted me to write this. I had a lot of fun doing and redoing this chapter as the story evolved. The fight scene was particularly interesting for me. I hope it came across how I intended it to. It was a challenge which I really enjoyed a lot. Anyway, here you are darlings. While this may be the last chapter in this particular story all of my fics unless other wise stated follow along this same time line. I have a number of one shots which I will continue to post so as always thank you for your kind words, let me know what you think, how you feel, all that lovely stuff. You're all amazing xo_

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Asleep on his meagre bunk Ben was thrust into wakefulness by a surge of fear and a wild screaming down through the force. His body bolted upright without thought as his dark eyes wide and searching took in his surroundings. Still in a cage, still in the dark, floors strewn with dirt and garbage. Ben listened closely, he could hear the slow dripping of water down the hall as voiced carried from the direction of a lit room. Warmth surged from it suggesting it was occupied by more then a handful of people. The jovial tones said he was right and they were playing a game of sabaac. "Hey!," he called out in the darkness, banging his metal cuffs against the bars of his cell, "HEY," he called again but no one answered.

He reached out with the force in search of Rey, he knew she was somewhere in the facility but where? His mind swum through the vibrations of people and creatures alike trying to find that one vibration that hummed a little louder and a little more intently then the rest. When he finally came across it it was paired with another energy signature. Vibrating against Rey's in a grotesque display of heated dominance Ben felt the force signature of a Knight of Ren. The air around him froze as he reached further within himself scaling through the force to uncover the identity of the unknown man. He'd killed them all, had he not? They had fought and fought hard and yet Ben had come out the victor.

Pressing his forehead against the bars he took a deep breath before pulling back and smashing his cuffed wrist against phrik encasement. The vibration sang through his bones in agonizing waves, the sound dancing off the walls in loud rapturous noise. He heard the din of voices drop a level and took that opportunity to draw back and do it again and again. The metal of his cuffs bit into his flesh bitterly and still he struck the phrik bars with a furious tenor. The biting scent of iron and metal hit the air and still Ben kept up his barrage, waiting, preying that one of his captors would emerge. He wanted to do this right, he wanted to prove he could be trusted but with Rey's security hanging in the balance his resolve was quickly waning.

"HEY!" he cried again, and this time his voice was heard. A scruffy looking youth stuck his head out the door several feet away peering down the long corridor. Ben was the only captive they had so what the youth was looking for he wasn't quite sure. "Hey, hey!" he called out again, his voice like that of a drowning man desperate for aid.

The youth emerged from the room slowly, signalling over his shoulder as he did so. He looked to be about nineteen years old, his facial hair growing in in patches. His rounded cheeks were flush with drink which crept up onto the bridge of pointed and angular nose. He was wearing the brilliant orange of an x wing pilot with the jump suit undone to his middle and the arms tied around his waist. His bare arms were lean and muscular as they slid across his broad chest, clad in a simple black sleeveless shirt, "What is it?" his voice called with a creak and forced bravado.

Ben, trying to play his cards right on this one mulled over his options. Force persuasion would be most efficient but would mar his chances of proving himself to the resistance. Still, he needed to get to Rey. The dark vibrations of a shadow wielder was looming ever closer. He couldn't tell where exactly or who exactly but they were here and their existence reached out to him now. His head jerked up as he followed the line of force energy, it moved slowly on thunderous vibrations down one hall way then the next in search of something. It wanted him to know it was hunting. It wanted him to know he was helpless to stop it. "I… I need," he fumbled over his words, "Where's Rey?" he asked instead.

The pilot scrunched his nose, caught off guard. He took a few sure steps forward and Ben could see in the boys hand a cup. He held the object in tight fingers letting it hang at his side. He seemed to slip into a state of curious ease as he approached. Shaggy hair fell into his eyes but Ben could see they were the red rimmed sort of a man who had been dabbling with spice. The sides of the boys head were shaved leaving the shaggy sandy brown mop to fall across his forehead as he swept at it a few times. "You mean lady Skywalker?"

It was Ben's turn to be taken off guard, how long had he been unconscious for? "Rey, the Jedi girl who took me here?" he asked carefully. One part of his consciousness was trained on the dark shadow which wove through the hallways while the other tried to process the information he was being given.

With a nod of his head the pilot looked a little more confident now, "Yeah," he said taking a swig from his cup, "Rey Skywalker, that's what she said her name was. Like that famous Jedi…"

_ My uncle_, Ben thought but pressed on, "Where is she?"

" 'Ow should I know," the boy said belligerently now, "She's usually with the Generals, sometimes that Wookie, but most nights she's in her own in her quarters. We don't see her much."

"She hasn't been down to see me?" Ben asked but immediately regretted it. The young man was staring at him through dangerously narrowed eyes.

"And why would she do that?" he asked, tone thick with disgust, "And what did you do to your wrists?" his eyes falling to Ben's bloodied hands he shifted a step back looking over his shoulder.

Ben acted fast, raising his cuffed arms he wove a hand through the air and reached out to the lad through the force. His mind was addled with substance and fear making him all the more easy to influence, "You will remove my restraints," he said in an even tone. The boys demeanour shifted quickly, tension zapped from his shoulders as he smiled dopy and eager to please.

"Sure," he said sweetly, "I'll remove your restraints," his footsteps carried him clumsily towards the bars. Ben held his hands up so that they poked through stopped by the metal of his intrusive cuffs. The boy before him, dropping his cup to the ground unceremoniously and unlocked the metal bands with deft fingers. He then stepped back to admire his handy work

The cold air stung viciously but Ben pushed away the biting sensation with a scowl and nodded his thanks, "You will unlock my cell," he said with another gentle wave of his hand. This time the young man looked uneasy.

"I can't unlock your cell," he said in a dreamy far off tone.

Ben cursed beneath his breath, he had to get out of these Force forsaken bars and fast. Quickly his mind wheeled, he ran through scenario after scenario desperate for an answer. There was a keycard needed to unlock the door, which operated on an electronic mechanism. If the power went down however there was a backup lock which clicked into place that had to be manually opened with a key. That was his ticket he just needed something sharp.

"You will bring me," he hesitated, what would be most useful in this situation, how could he best describe what it was he needed? "You will bring me anything long, thin and narrow," he said firmly, "Something to pick a lock with," he added, suddenly feeling very uneasy about this loosely formed plan of his.

As the young pilot set to work Ben turned his attention to the other problem at hand, short circuiting the main mechanism. He looked around for a power source, maybe he could throw something at it? No, too much noise. He could try force lightening but that was unpredictable at best and could have devastating repercussions. He wasn't entirely sure he had the energy required to control such a feat. Maybe if he could find a conductor of some kind he could overload the power signature.

The pilot, returning within moments with two straight metal pieces of wiring looked proud of himself as he offered the pieces to Ben. "I have brought you two narrow pieces of wire," he said smoothly, standing back as if awaiting his next order.

"Thank you," Ben said quietly, when suddenly it struck him. Waving another hand in front of the boys face he said with serene calmness, "You will bring me something to drink,"

With a dumb smile and a curt nod the pilot turned on booted heels and moved back towards the room he had exited earlier muttering to himself, "I will bring you something to drink."

Ben watched as the young man disappeared into the well lit room only to be met with jeering cries and whoops. His presence had clearly been missed, or maybe it was his pocket book. As he waited Ben reached out once more through the force, like a blind man clawing through the darkness it was suddenly thick and heavy around him. He pushed further, harder as though pulling himself out from dark and mirky waters. The shadowed force signature rippled as it's heart beat increased. The thrill of the hunt wandered around it's twisted form as Ben felt it slow its pace. It knew it was growing closer to it's prey and was savouring the heat of it. Reaching further he sought Rey's humming light, he closed his eyes and physically reached out his hand drawing himself closer and closer to it. He could feel her heart beat, even and steady as her dreams wafted around her sleeping mind. She was still, calm and for the time being safe. Allowing himself to breach the gap between them Ben felt his surroundings shift, his cage became a barracks, no not barracks but a room. It was dimly lit by the singular moon hanging in the sky over head. Rey was sleeping beneath a large spread of plush blankets with the window wide open allowing a cool breeze to waft through. Ben approached cautiously, catching a glimpse of the city below. Hanna city was no different from how he remembered from far years gone by. They must be staying in the Chandrila Senate House, it was the only building in the city which boasted such fine accommodations with a cell block in the basement. Below he could see the Eleutherian Plaza, it's large fountain spilling water idly into the air in graceful arcs.

As he looked back, eyes cast on Rey's sleeping form he watched as her brow knit, her skin a sheen of light perspiration. Something within her shifted, her breathing was coming in quick puffs of air as her hands balled themselves around her sheets and they were both plunged into darkness. "You weren't invited," bit out a cold metallic voice as Ben turned to see the hulking black form of a man slipping in on silent foot steps. His leather coat was ripped in places but still mostly intact save for the gaping hole left in it's right flank. The animal flesh was burnt in that area, as though pierced by a lightsaber. He walked with a slight limp still, favouring his left where he guarded a familiar blaster pistol. The mask he wore a hulking piece of black pastillion ore with a small vision gap and grate of intimidating silver providing extra protection to his nose, mouth, and neck. It looked a little like a grenade, the moonlight causing it to glint viciously.

"Vicrul," Ben growled. Of course it would be Vicrul to survive. He was the most wildly unpredictable of the lot, prone to obscene fits of rage and sadistic tendencies. This was the thick shadow Ben had felt, this dark need to consume the light.

"Master Ren…" he drawled sardonically in response, "but, no…you aren't really here are you?" his footing shifted as he wandered in a loose half circle around Ben's form before turning his attention back upon Rey. "No… a force projection? or…" his tone softened in mock kindness, "A connection with the girl young Jedi,"

Ben could feel as Vicrul reached his shadows out towards Rey. They slipped over her sleeping form in curled talons dragging her light and joy into the darkness. Her body stiffened with a shiver as the last of the knights of Ren forced his fear manipulation through her drawing up old wounds and deep terrors from the core of her very soul. She whimpered in her sleep and Ben felt his blood run cold, he moved to lunge at Vicrul but the metal clad man threw an arm out and force pushed Ben out of the room with more strength then Ben though he should rightfully have. His back struck the wall of his cell and he scrambled desperately to his feet. He had to do something and quick.

"HEY!" he started calling again, his force rendered puppet was a useless mind of drink and frivolity. He had forgotten the minute he walked back into the room what exactly it was he was suppose to do. Fists raged against the phrik bars as the force surged and whipped around him. His bed began shaking against the floor, it's loosened bolts rattling beneath the torrent of Ben's force rage. He needed to get control but his thin grip on the concept was slipping away from him. His light was suffocating beneath the rampaging darkness he had worked so desperately to control. The air around him crackled and snapped with unbridled terror and strain as Ben threw all he could focus bucking against the lock. A wave of force energy crashed like a tsunami against it and to Ben's good fortune the box sparked and died. It's lights blinked a few times and the lock released only to be replaced by the manual lock. The manual lock Ben knew how to handle.

Quickly he dropped to his knees and forced his arms through the bars. Sparing no time, he drove the hard metal wires into the locking mechanism and listened. Rolling the pieces over in small tight circles he fumbled around until he met the right resistance. Carefully he slipped the other wire beneath it and torqued repeating the process a series of times before a quick pop and the door slid open.

Without conscious thought for himself Ben took off running. He passed the room with its drunken occupants who came to the door, hollering after him. No one it seemed was brave enough to follow. Instead he heard the beeping of com-links and radio silence. Still his feet carried him through dark tunnels and up winding stairways. He had a loose idea of the senate houses geography but it wasn't clear enough to get him exactly where he needed to go. Reaching out through the force he groped along the hallways ahead, searching for the right direction. As he slid around one corner he was met by a pair of resistance fighters dressed in their civilian clothing. At their hips they carried blaster pistols which they began reaching for the minute their eyes met Ben's.

"Wait! Stop!" one cried as the other groped for his com, "Kylo Ren, we command you stop at once."

"Command, we have a situation," the soldier with the com spoke quickly into his piece, the other levelled his blaster on Ben with a shaky hand. "Kylo Ren has escaped, we're in the south hall down from the interim chambers," a warbling came over the com link which Ben couldn't make out, "No sir, he's unarmed. He looks to be injured."

"Don't call me Kylo Ren," Ben barked, both soldiers flinched, neither seemed to know what it was they were suppose to do.

"General Dameron Sir," the soldier with the com link muttered into the device.

'Ah, Joy,' Ben thought, the General was far from Ben's biggest fan. He knew the only reason Poe hadn't acted on his desire for direct termination was for Rey's benefit. That was the reason they'd brought him here to Chandrila under the guise of some sort of fair trial. "I'm so sorry," he muttered loud enough for them to hear. Both looked wide eyed as Ben threw his hand out in their direction and with a mass of will and intent flung them down the hallway and out of his path. He listened to their grunting as they clambered to their feet but Ben was already gone. He had a better idea of where he was now in relation to the bedchambers senators often stayed in while visiting. That would be where he would find Rey. His feet tore across the marbled floors, panic licking at his heart as he reached out to her through the force. He caught her heavy breathing and terror like a wave of nausea but she was still alive. Vicrul's penchant for torture was legendary but it may in fact be saving Rey's life. She was still asleep, though plagued with horrors beyond imagine. He had to get to her, he had to save her. She was the only thing tethering him to this world so filled with contempt and hatred towards him. She was the only reason he hadn't slipped away to become one with the force when he had heard his mothers call. Rey was his reason for everything. Their connection was the one thing in the world he held most dear and he simply couldn't lose that.

He could feel her fear mounting as he drew closer, just one floor up and he would be within reach. One floor up and he could save her.

"Kylo Ren," the voice came, solid and stern as Ben stopped on the stairs he had been taking two at a time. His long legs giving him the advantage.

He didn't bother to turn he knew who it was standing behind him. He could feel the the vibration of Poe's energy through the force like a blunt instrument. The blaster pistol held in his hand a similar make to the one his father, Han Solo had favored. Ben knew the sound of the safety like he knew the sound of his mothers voice. The memory of a sound that would never leave him. It was the first weapon he ever learned to fire, ironic now that it was poised to end him.

"Don't do this Dameron," Ben bit out, if his back was turned Poe wouldn't fire but he lifted his hands in mock surrender all the same. If nothing else it showed the General Ben wasn't armed, nor did he have intention to harm.

Poe let out a steady breath of air, the sound buffeted against his teeth. He held his pistol with the careful ease of a pro. If only he knew how much he looked like the great General Solo in this moment. He wore tan pants cad in leather straps which held an assortment of weapons to his hips and legs, the pistol holder empty at that moment. His white shirt was tucked in loosely at his waist, unbuttoned at the collar similar to the way Ben's Dad often did. "General Dameron thank you," Poe called in a tone resembling bravado but Ben didn't miss the slight waver as his voice dropped off. "Don't know what you think you're doing but I think you and I both know it's not wise."

Ben's foot slid against the stair as he cocked his body to the side careful that he was still showing Poe the majority of his back. Over his shoulder he cast the young General with a pleading gaze, licking at chapped lips as he mulled over his words carefully. "Rey's in danger,"

The words hit their mark, Poe's hand lowered his gun a fraction of an inch. It wasn't much but it was something. He seemed to think a moment before reinforcing the weapon in Ben's direction but the hesitance was still there, "She went to bed hours ago," Poe tried, his words coming softer then maybe he meant them to.

Ben nodded, "She's not alone, there's someone in the room with her. I can… feel it," he bit out by way of explanation.

Poe made a face that looked half mocking yet half exasperated, "If the lady Rey wants to bring someone else to her bed it's no concern of yours Ren,"

Scowling he snarled, "Ben," not the wisest of responses with a gun trained on your back but he was getting tired of hearing the misnomer. Sure he had given it to himself but now it stood as a reminder of all the atrocities he had committed while under the influence and struggling against the dark. Deep down he knew he deserved Poe's animosity but his heart still yearned for acceptance as much from himself he realized as anyone else. "I go by Ben now, please you have to understand,"

"Oh, I understand jealousy well Ren," Poe spoke the name with clear inflection, needling to get under Ben's skin, "She saved you, you feel some strange connection to her, which you have her convinced is mutual…"

Frustrated Ben turned, his hands still held against the air he faced Poe. Force be damned this was taking too long. Either Poe would shoot him or he wouldn't. If the General truly believed the words he was saying he would have opened fire now and been done with Ben Solo. He would have freed his friend from the dreaded scourge of the galaxy Kylo Ren and let her get on with her life. Yet, his finger lingered a little too far away from the trigger to be sure of his shot. Poe knew in his heart that firing on Ben would be a mistake, politically as well as mentally. "Rey is free to do whatever she wants, I won't stand in the way of her happiness, trust me," Poe scoffed, "There is a man in her room right now who intends to do her harm and the more you stand here barking your foolishness the more likely it is that he's going to take her life."

"How…" Poe started but Ben cut him off.

"The FORCE," he roared through clenched teeth. Without intending, his rage and fear sent a rippling through the force which buffeted against the dark shadows which surrounded Rey's room, "Kriff," Ben cursed realizing what exactly he had just done. His very existence had just pressed against Vicrul's webbed darkness surely alerting the Knight of Ben's current location. "Look," Ben offered hastily, "You believe in the force?" Poe nodded, "You knew my mother was strong with it, my uncle?" Poe continued nodding, Ben's patience was wearing thin, "Why is it so hard to believe then that I can feel another force wielder through the force? Why then can't you believe that Rey and I have a connection that you can't see or touch. We're a dyad in the force," he pleaded now, desperate for Poe to understand.

While Poe mulled over the information presented to him Ben reached out again, feelers dipping around the edges of the pulsating shadow which was swallowing Rey's room. If he knew Vicrul the way he thought he did the man wouldn't simply end her, that would be too easy. He would need to feel her fear flicker through the force before it ended. Desperate and in two places Ben watched Poe before closing his eyes and sending a surge of his own Force signature through his bond with Rey. It was a last ditch attempt but maybe if she could wake up she could hold Vicrul off. Or, maybe he would be forced to kill her before his timed intent. Ben couldn't take the chance, "Watcha doin' there Ren?" he heard Poe ask, voice strained against vexation.

'_Wake up_,' he pleaded, pouring himself into it, '_Wake up and FIGHT_' he cried along the tether that bound them together. He needed to give her a chance.

A sudden shrill scream met by heavy hammering bangs erupted from over head. Ben pushed through the force throwing Poe back a bit as he turned to sprint up the stairs. Poe's finger, be it by accident or on purpose found the trigger and the blaster pistol went off. It's bolt shot passed Ben's head and found its mark in the old stone wall of the landing. It left a smoking hole which Ben bolted passed as he ran up the stairs. Behind him he could hear Poe gathering himself. There was the beeping of com's and Poe was muttering something but Ben didn't care, he had to get to Rey.

As he came upon her floor other resistance officers of varying ranks were now taking to the hallways. Unarmed, Ben noticed gratefully, they milled about before taking notice of his hulking form barreling down the hall. Panic erupted, chaos ensued and soon the floor was flooded with soldiers weapons in hand all pointed at Ben. His wrists ached as he stopped, the blood had left dark black marks against the sleeves of his black tunic which he found himself focusing on. His stance was wide, boots shifting against the floor more then a shoulders width apart as he opened himself upon the hallway. His force energy bucked and raged, pushing the soldiers back, throwing their weapons from their hands. He was careful not to hurt anyone but the mounting ire within him made his movements unpredictable and jarring. With a look of apology mixed with reverence he turned himself upon Rey's door and thrust the heavy wood back and off its hinges.  
Inside the room Rey stood with her back against the wall, her small form dwarfed by Vicrul's mass. He loomed over her like a child's bed-night monster. A waking terror that had walked directly out of a nightmare. In her hand she held a lightsaber, it's blue blade lighting the room around her in it's ethereal glow. She stood poised in stance for a fight but lacked the room necessary for a proper defence. Vicrul held his scythe lazily over his shoulder as if waiting for her to make the first move but when he spoke his words were directed at Ben. "Look who decided to join the party," he drawled, his speech coming out in a distorted tremor. The mask's voice modulator must have been damaged in their fight because the Knight began lazily striking the side of his head in frustration.

"Your fight is with me Vicrul," Ben bit out, trying to draw his attention away from Rey.

Vicrul laughed, a strange hallow metallic sound like a tin can thrown down a hallway, "The way I see it my fight is with both of you. The last pair of Jedi in the galaxy,"

"I'm not…" Ben started to say as he slipped into the room, pacing behind his opponent furthering his attempt to get Vicrul to turn to him and away from Rey.

Instead the hulking juggernaut placed his back to the wall and shifted his scythe in the girls direction, "No, You're not, are you Jedi killer?" Ben flinched. "You'll never escape your past Ben Solo, you think you can drop the name of Ren and live a civilian life? You think your comrades will forgive you for the darkness and despair you have wrought the galaxy? You were born from darkness and you will die in darkness,"

Ben could feel Rey's resolve flicker through the force on waves of anger and contempt. In a moment of panic he wondered if those feelings were directed towards him, he wouldn't blame her if they were. She was edging forward, her bare foot sliding against the ground reading for an attack. In a split second movement she surged forward. Her lightsaber came crashing down on Vicrul's extended scythe. It's phrik blade sparked beneath the weight of her swing but was brought up in an arc to meet the vibrating blue. He was ready for her, Ben realized grimly, watching as the Knight advanced upon Rey like a railspeeder. He reached out through the force finding Vicrul's force signature and pulled. The black knight reacted quickly, pulling his blaster pistol and firing in Ben's direction before his body was torn off it's feet.

Unprepared for the attack Ben felt the blast strike him in the shoulder, knocking him off balance. He stumbled groping at the seared flesh torn beneath tattered fabric. Rey screamed his name and Vicrul was back to his feet before either of them were prepared. Ben's shoulder hit the wall as he steadied his footing. He was spreading himself too thin, pushing himself through the force with no regard for his own existence. Steadying his resolve he drew himself up and threw himself forward. His injured shoulder ached as it collided with hard leather and metal knocking the dark knight back a few paces. Rey took the opportunity to duck and roll across the bed out of their way but not before tossing her lightsaber to Ben. The blade dimmed as it sailed threw the air but once in Ben's hand it roared to life with blazing heat and ferocity.

Ben spun the hilt so that he held the sabre in the non conventional reverse grip. Its bright blue blade danced behind him as he swung it at Vicrul, his body moving in unison. He spun and the blade came crashing down against the mans hardened armour. Using the strike as a distraction Ben swung a swift kick at his opponents other hand. The one he held his pistol tightly in. It was a gambit, that left him more open for attack then he may have liked but thrown off, the pistol cascaded to the floor.

Vicrul growled as Ben backed up, swinging the lightsaber in methodical arcs between them. The aggressive titan of a man moved to attack but was struck in the side of the head by a bolt fired from a blaster. He fumbled numbly a moment before shaking his head, turning his attention in the direction of the assault.

Poe stood in the doorway, pistol raised at the ready poised for another shot. Vicrul's mask made a distorted hissing sound, like bolts shaken too hard inside a can. Frustrated he struck the side of his mask again then seemed resigned to just take the damn thing off. His gloved fingers slipped beneath the leather that wound around the helmet as he unhinged the masks mechanism and the heavy piece fell to the floor.

Beneath it was a man Ben barely knew any longer. His dark red hair fell in a matted mess around his face and down over his shoulders. His dark rimmed eyes were an eery blue, one of which puckered slightly at the corner in a mottled mess of scar tissue. The offending tear ran down his cheek in jagged harsh lines of once torn flesh knit together in roughened pulled lines. It raised in some areas while others blanched white, flesh stretched too thin. It pulled at his mouth giving him a permanent sneer on what was once an attractive face. His other cheek was marred with scratches which disappeared beneath his hair down and along his neck which he kept covered with a thick woven high collar. "Send them away Ren," his voice was a harsh whisper straining against a damaged voice box. He tapped idly at the line of grenades he wore across his chest, "We do this or we all go,"

Ben looked at Rey and then back to Poe. Poe wasn't taking his eyes off of the intruder, nor did he really seem up for dropping his weapon. "General," Ben's voice called, clipped and to the point. Poe flinched as Rey drifted to his side placing her hand on Poe's arm. Ben couldn't hear the conversation but whatever was said had convinced Poe to lower his blaster and back out of the room, Rey at his heels. She seemed to understand what was happening, standing in the doorway in front of Poe.

"I'm not leaving him," she called in loud defiance.

Vicrul didn't seem to care, he threw his hand out as if to push her with the force but instead the wooden door threw itself against the wall. His control over the force was always tenuous at best but the sound made Poe jump. Rey however folded her arms across her chest and watched. "Suit yourself little Jedi," he growled before throwing himself into his assault. His hair flung back behind his shoulder the hulking man brought his scythe down onto of Ben's lightsaber pushing the blade into the floor. It cracked and whizzed beneath the onslaught, chipping away at the marbled surface before Ben was able to shift his footing and angle the blade back against the attack. The phrik blade was drawn back quickly only to be brought in a sweeping arc from the side. Prepared this time, Ben brought his sabre up on an angle, both hands on its hilt as he parried the blow. Over and over Vicrul came at him, blades angled in crashing arcs bounced off one another repeatedly. The dark knight was careful not to let his blade sit against the lightsaber too long. The crackling energy it emitted would tear his weapon in two if it was allowed to hold position too long

They had sparred often in training so both men knew the others tactics and body language. When Ben's feet shifted Vicrul pushed forward to be met with an upswept blade and a twisting body. Ben's movements were fast without his armour, he was careful to dodge the scythes vibro tech blade but more then that he fought to end this. He felt Rey reaching out to him through the force, a little extra strength to his swing. A resolve like steel to win at all costs. Her force energy licked along his anger and rage winding into it with light and determination.

He fought like a banshee unhinged, feeling his tempo increase with every crash of plasma on phrik. Where Vicrul's foot faltered, Ben pressed forward. Where his breathing hitched Ben threw the force at him, knocking his opponent back towards the window and the terrace beyond. Gaining the advantage Ben's parries became more frenzied, his artistic fighting style slipped into something a little more dangerous. As he came at Vicrul catching him across the chest with his forearm Ben used the force to throw him through the window. The glass broke, shattering around the dark knights hulking form. Ben's footfalls treading on the broken shards crunched as he climbed out the window to find Vicrul struggling against the stone railing.

"YIELD," Ben bellowed only to be met by sluggish and heavy swings of the scythe wielded by his opponent. He could feel as Rey came to the window, her small hands holding against the frame as she watched. Poe's presence flickered through the force as he met her back.

Crash for crash Ben continued to wear the scythe wielder out, backing up every now and again to push the weight of his force energy down upon the red head. "Never." he cried softly, knees pressed against the stony terrace. He looked up at Ben only to swing his blade up connecting with Ben's sabre before reaching out through the force and grabbing Ben by the throat. The action threw Ben off guard as he tried desperately to swallow, fighting off a grip that could not be seen only felt. He pushed himself through the force desperately, knocking Vicrul back once more. But, the attack had thrown off Ben's equilibrium and before he knew what was happening his world was turned to darkness. His senses attacked by the blackness of Vicrul's power Ben staggered against an onslaught of images, Snoke, Vader, Palpatine. The whispers and voices of his dark masters crawling through him along the force. They taunted him, calling to him from the pit of blackness that he fought so hard to hide within himself.

"You will draw your blade," the voice of Snoke called like an echo. Ben knew rationally it wasn't real but in his minds eye he saw him drawn his blade. He was standing over the crumpled form of a female. A female he quickly recognize to be Rey.

"You will strike her down," Palpatine croaked viciously.

He heard Rey scream and the blade was ripped from his hands. He wasn't sure what was happening, the darkness around him began to swallow him whole, "Fear, Anger, Hate…" a mechanized voice called and he was falling.

Ben felt his body crash into the cold stone of the terrace. The world around him awash with moonlight he shook his head and looked up. Rey had stabbed her lightsaber through Vicral's shoulder but the larger man was holding her by the throat. As Ben realized what was happening, Rey dropped her hold on the lightsaber and began clawing at the knights amor clad arm. She was being pushed back against the wall kicking and screaming as they went. Poe was knocked back against the bed his head was bleeding but from what Ben could tell he was still alive. Good.

Calling to the sabre, the metal met his hand and ignited. The sound drew Vicrul's attention but too late as Ben drove the blade into the mans back and drug it down across his torso. He cried out as he released Rey, letting her drop unceremoniously to the ground before dropping to his knees. "Jedi Killer…" he all but whispered as Ben reared the blade back and drove it through the man from shoulder straight through to his chest effectively stopping his heart.

"No more…" Ben muttered before he dropped the lightsaber and rushed to Rey's side. He bent low and picked her up with unprecedented ease. Cradling her body against his own he stood, one arm braced against her shoulders, the other supporting her knees and pressed his nose against the side of her cheek. He was sweaty and smelt of blood and battle but she didn't seem to care. She merely clung to him all the harder. He hissed at the pressure of her body against his bolt wound but refused to let her go. "Star's end," he murmured against her hair, "I'm so glad you're ok."

Rey grinned and kissed his cheek and then the side of his mouth before capturing his full lips with her own. "You saved my life again," she said, as they broke away though it sounded strained.

"Always," he muttered in response.

They were soon all too aware that they were no longer alone. Resistance fighters split into Rey's room stepping out onto the terrace. Poe, a groggy face behind them rubbed at the base of his skull. The soldiers took in the image around them Ben cradling Rey tight against his body her feet bloody and speckled with shards of glass while a very dead Knight of Ren lie just feet away. The glass crunched under their feet as they approached, a few drew tentative pistols pointing them at Ben's back.

"Kylo Ren…" one called, Ben tensed but it was Rey who replied.

"His name is Ben," she bit out, Ben turned so that they faced the soldiers head on.

"The prisoner escaped Rey, er, Lady Skywalker, ma'am." A young man with a blaster pistol said hesitantly.

Ben smiled, a soft snicker fluttering passed his lips as Rey looked mildly embarrassed. "Ben," Rey pressed, "Just saved my life, right General Dameron?"

Poe looked up confusion etched across his features. He clearly wasn't prepared to be spoken to so quickly and so instead simply nodded in agreement and ushered the soldiers away with the flick of his hand. "Send someone up for the body," he called out hastily as the last of the soldiers filtered from the room.

As they made their way back through the window Ben sat Rey gingerly down upon her bed. Poe joined cautiously but the aching in his skull seemed to knock the desire for a fight clear out of him. Acting quickly Ben lowered himself to the floor and began carefully removing the shards of glass from bottoms of Rey's feet. He pushed on the flesh with his hand while pulling at the offending jagged pieces through the force. Rey held her hand out and he found himself placing them there for lack of anywhere else. When he was finished, Poe watching with rapt fascination, Ben wrapped his large hands around Rey's feet one at a time and focused his force energy into the wounds. When he was done, the flesh was left unmarred and Rey was able to stand which she did happily.

Broken glass discarded, her fingers drug through Ben's thick and unkempt locks dragging the dirty strands back and out of his eyes. She repeated the motion again and again with both hands until her fingers could move through without snagging on tangles. "When was the last time you were allowed to bathe?" she asked as Ben wound his arms around her waist and rest his head against her middle.

When he didn't answer, Rey turned her attention upon Poe, "Hey, I'm pretty sure I have a concussion, either that or you're listening to some very strange music…" he said a little louder then necessary.

"That doesn't excuse his treatment," Rey said sourly, careful not to holler at her afflicted friend. "He's not going back down there…"

Poe seemed to want to argue, his lips moved but no sound came out. He looked like a stunned Gungan, wide eyed and floundering. "No," Rey began, "No, we're not continuing like this. I know he's done things but you've done things,"

Poe gave an exaggerated eye roll as he fell back, shifting so that he held himself up by his wrists, "Spice running is a little different…" he started but Rey effectively cut him off with a glare.

"We've all done things," she levelled pulling Ben up to his feet. He towered over her, a dark hulking shadow standing in the wake of her bright light. He watched as she interlaced their fingers, the heat of her own hand warm against his palm. His fingers dwarfed hers but they felt incredibly right woven together. "The trail may be a formality but I want it known that Ben is to be cleared. We're starting over, all of us." there was a pause before she added softly, "I need him,"

Ben tried to look nonchalant but his heart skipped a beat as her fingers squeezed against his own. Rey quickly looked embarrassed hastily saying, "For the Jedi," but Ben knew in that moment it was for Poe's benefit. He could feel as she reached out to him through the force winding herself around him in a protective cocoon of light and warmth. He brought her hand to his lips in a smooth motion, placing a soft kiss against her knuckle in way of reply. A gentle admission from deep within his heart, he needed her too.


	9. Chapter 9

There was a flurry of voices, and the marching of footsteps hammered through the hallway. A chorus of movement and chaos as resistance fighters stood in a half circle around the doorway to Rey's chambers. Poe was looking perfectly bewildered, his pupils dilated and eyes distant as he tried to steady himself on hesitant and wobbly legs.

"Nope, not yet." he muttered to himself as his feet slid against the floor and his rear end collided with the plushy surface of Rey's bed. She was there in an instant, her hands roving over his head, shoulders and chest in searching, sweeping strokes. She let herself ease into the force as she assessed her friend for further injury.

When she was content that Poe was merely mildly concussed and had no severe or life threatening injuries Rey returned to Ben's side. He was sitting with his back against the end of the large bed, one leg stretched out before him the other one bent at the knee. She could feel the ache rippling off him through the force, his muscles strained and shoulder sore where he'd taken the blast. She'd tried to heal him through a transfer of life energy but he'd waved her off assuring her he was fine. The ragged breaths and slump to his shoulder however told her otherwise.

Instead, she allowed her force signature to wind around him, thrumming through his own like a calming wave stroking at a sandy shore. Her vibrations smoothed and rounded the peeking aches and sudden twinges until Ben's breathing steadied and she was sure he wasn't going to pass out from the pain. In reality she had done much worse to him but the onslaught on his mental state had shaken him to his core, knocking loose a fragmented darkness which spun wildly through his psyche. She went after it, pelting it with her light and warmth but every time she found herself getting close enough he would push her away. As though he were afraid of what that darkness might do to her once she finally got close enough.

So they sat in stilted silence, their breathing ragged, souls weary, the corpse of a ghost still only feet away. Rey couldn't force herself to rethink the events of the last hour if she tried, or had it been more? Less maybe? She always found time was funny when in the heat of a moment like this. She was tired in a way that one felt after a sleepless night and when the force around her steadied she felt herself sag just a little. She chose to sit next to Poe, on the other side of Ben's shoulder. Her knee pressed against him in an affectionate and supportive manner. She watched as Ben tilted his head back to look at her, his smile strained and eyes closing with a flutter of heavy dark lashes. As if on instinct, Rey found her hands winding through Ben's hair again. It was slick and greasy under her touch reminding her of the desperate state his personal hygiene was in. She was about to make a pointed comment in Poe's direction when Finn's voice erupted from that hallway.

"What? How? Rey? Star's end, Rey! Poe?" There was a scuffle of feet and muffled cries of indignation from a series of resistance fighters as Finn bodily pushed his way through their wall and into the room. His feet slid to a stop in the open doorway taking stock of the door thrown off its hinges and the blaster burn on the far wall. "They said there was an issue…" he spoke softly, as if afraid to break their bubble of silence, "Was it really?"

Poe nodded towards the shattered glass and broken window and Finn hurried over to take a look. With his hand on the window frame he stood, allowing their silence to envelope him. Rey could see his shoulders stiffen, his free hand working against his lower jaw as he rubbed at his face analyzing the scene before him.

"Yep, that happened," Poe said to no one in particular. His eyes were unfocused as he stared off before him. Rey could feel his exhaustion as it rolled into confusion, hesitation and then an odd brand of fear. Poe was always a shoot first and ask questions later kind of person. He was cool under pressure and quick to make decisions he felt would be in the best interest of the group. He, with Finn at his side had seen them through the battle with the Final Order. He had rallied planets and systems to their cause and was helping to build he framework for their new galactic senate. He took on so much that his tower of jobs and tasks was now shifting, toppling over on top of him.

Finn, as if picking up on that fact found himself at his friends side, a gentle hand on his shoulder, "You ok?" he asked quietly.

Poe smiled in a way that made him look dopy and stunned, "Hey buddy." he chirped happily, "Kylo Ben here took out a Knight of Ben."

Rey turned sharply just in time to see Poe slowly slump against Finn. He took a deep breath of air, his head resting against Finn's stomach as their companion cast Rey a confused and very concerned look. "Poe?" Rey said sharply.

It took a minute but the General righted himself, shaking his head, his eyes adjusting to a light that hadn't changed. "Kriff." he muttered, running his hands over his thighs in an agitated and uneasy manner. "I feel like I could sleep for days."

"Maybe you should," Finn urged, the hand on his friends shoulder awarding it with a gentle squeeze.

Poe shook his head again, righting himself so that he no longer needed Finn to support him, "Can't the Senate meeting is tomorrow, we have appointed delegates flying in from all the systems. This is bigger then my need for rest." What Poe wasn't saying was that tomorrow was likely going to be the day of Ben's trial. It was to be the primary agenda of the newly formed Galactic Senate and it made Rey want to vomit.

"We should get…" Finn paused and turned his attention to Rey, "Ben…" he said carefully, "Back to a cell before the early arrivals start to get any weird notions in their head." He was trying to be kind, to be fair but Rey was beyond that now. She wasn't sending him back to a cell, another cage for his mind to wander into the darkness. He wasn't going to be treated like a dog for something that was beyond his control.

How easy it seemed it was to judge when no one in this room, in the whole Senate House could truly say they understood. Ben's mind had been raped and held captive since he was young. He was used, and manipulated. His soul was stripped bare and left in tatters. How was anyone at such a young age suppose to fight off the might of the Emperor? She would not let him be their scape goat. She would not let his soul be tortured any longer and if her friends weren't on board then she would fight them too.

Finn stirred uncomfortably as Rey bit out a firm, "No," Ben's eyes fluttered open and curious apprehension yawned through the force as he cast a pleading eye towards her. His head notched against her knee, his cheek rubbing against the capped surface. He'd been enjoying the feeling of her fingers in his hair and hadn't been paying attention to anything other then her touch. "I'm taking him to a new room with a clean bed and a fresher with real water. Someone had better scrounge up some ration packets too and some new clothes that will actually fit him."

Both Finn and Poe shared a look, challenging the other to argue with the Jedi. It was Poe though who posed the question, "And how do we explain this to the delegates?"

Flustered Rey bolted to her feet, Ben slid to the side before catching himself, watching her as she stormed around the room in a huff. She wasn't backing down from this one, she would stand her ground, fight anyone who was going to challenge her. "I don't know." she cried, turning her frustration at the world on her friends. Her eyes glistened with unshed tears she was trying desperately not to cry, "Tell them that I'm guarding him. That I'm the only one in this place that has the power to hold him at bay."

"In your… bed chambers…" Finn said steadily, trying to bring logic to a situation that defied logic. She knew he wasn't purposely trying to provoke her but she felt provoked. She felt like she was starting to unravel, manically gathering up the pieces of herself that were trying to slip away. Ben felt like a life line, a solid presence through the force that held her straight, held her steady. Ever since their connection had been forged whether she wanted to admit it or not she didn't know how to live without him. She could fight knowing that he was in the world. Ironic as he was the thing she had started out fighting against. Now he was the thing she was fighting for.

"Star's end I don't know, why do people even need to know? Can't we pretend he's under lock and key and sneak him into an empty room? I'll watch him." She barrelled through the rationale of it trying to make a case without coming right out and saying it. She wanted him with her.

Poe looked uncomfortable as he moved to his feet. He wobbled a little and then looked to the door. "Why has no one come for the body yet?" he wondered aloud as he moved away from his friends and towards the soldiers on the other side of the threshold. He didn't want to have this conversation, Rey knew it but she wasn't giving them any say in the matter.

There was a scuffle outside as General Dameron approached. The younger soldiers treated Poe with a sort of reverence one might a war hero. She supposed he was, they all were in fact but that didn't change the fact that she was going to kick his ass if he didn't start listening.

He was leaning against the door frame calling orders when a number of soldiers bustled into the room and made their way to the broken window. Footsteps surrounded them and Rey found herself on guard, positioning herself in a half protective position against Ben incase anyone got it in their head that they they were going to try and take him back to the cellars. Finn watched with a sad smile as Rey clung to Ben, then turned his attention to the body they were hauling through the window. Vicrul was much less imposing when he wasn't standing over her wielding a blade that could peel flesh from bone. He looked like a broken man with a broken soul who had lived a terrifying life full of pain and horror.

It took four of them to move him, his amor adding to the already substantial weight of the man. "Do you think he's the only one?" Finn asked no one in particular.

From his position at the door, Poe looked from Finn to Ben. His eyebrow raised in the silent question of it. Ben had fought them, Ben had claimed he'd destroyed them all. The injuries sustained to Vicrul's person would confirm that he'd fought in a vicious battle with someone very recently but how could they know it was Ben?

"The only Knight who survived I mean?" Finn added carefully.

Ben sighed, "I don't even know how he survived. He was always good at manipulating reality, it was his one real talent." he was grasping at straws, "Best guess is he used that skill to help him slip away."

Poe was looking absolutely venomous, as if it were Ben's fault Vicrul had survived and gone after Ray. Sure if you wanted to find a connection linking the events together one could come to that conclusion but Vicrul was a live wire. He was unpredictable, vengeful, and cruel. "How could you not know he was dead? How do we know they aren't all out there somewhere?" He was tired and he wanted to stop fighting but there was a drive in Poe that made his need to keep everyone safe outweigh all else.

The air was thick with tension again, testosterone and fear made for bad bed fellows. She wanted to scream but Ben's stirring stole her focus. He shifted against the bed using his uninjured arm to push himself up. His movement was stiff and jarring as he took to his feet but not quite at full height. Rey darted forward as he faltered slightly babying his shoulder and any other injury he tried in vein to hide from her. He squared his feet and his resolve, his dark eyes still and cool, "My concern was removing them as an obstacle," he said with even patience. "Rey was up against the Emperor on her own, was I suppose to check each of their pulses before rushing to her aid?"

Rey could feel him blaming himself though, his mind jumping from image to image as he scoured his memory for a clue, a sign of any kind as to how Vicrul may have survived. He'd taken down Cardo and then Ap'lek, they were the first to fall. Usher was stabbed in the back, while Trudgen caught his lightsaber through the chest, there was no way the four of them could have survived. She could see the images playing out before her now like a holovid. Ben's movements were schooled and easy, his grandfathers lightsaber singing in his hand as he wielded it. It was so different from the newly crafted monstrosity he fought with as Kylo Ren. The plasma energy was steady and smooth, humming with balance. Even his first sabre hadn't come close to this level of harmonious perfection. The kyber was old and filled with experience and power from ages of simply existing. It held Rey's spirit, her will to live, her light and her passion. Through it as through their bond he could feel her and his heart swelled.

Her cheeks flushed at the feeling of his affection as he focused next on the final two knights. Kuruk had taken a cross swing to the chest. Depending on how deep it landed it was possible he'd survived but still not likely. That then left Vicrul. He remembered being struck by him but couldn't pull the memory of striking him down from the depths of his mind. Again and again he played over their deaths slashing and stabbing but what had happened to the dream wielder?

"I pushed him into a gaping hole…" Ben said with sudden clarity. "He must have hung on, found a way to climb out there's no other explanation"

"Will we be seeing of your other old friends?" Finn asked with casual ease. He wasn't trying to come across as flippant but it was sort of need to know.

With a simple shake of his head Ben grimaced, "No, the rest are very much dead."

Ready to put a swift end to this Rey placed a gentle hand over Ben's open blaster wound. He hissed as the softness of her touch met the burnt tear across his flesh. They shared a look, the force wavering in an intimate sort of way, begging him to let her help. Still he shook his head, "We don't know what kind of long lasting effects that has." he told her quietly.

"You just did it to my feet!" she cried, casting him a stunned look to indignation.

Ben chuckled but it sounded strained and painful as his mouth formed a thin line, "Your feet are a little more important then my shoulder. I just need a med pack, I'll be ok."

Rey huffed and pinched his good shoulder lightly. "Stubborn fool of a man," she muttered and moved away from him to find her things. She busied herself locating her shoes and the few belongings she owned. Most were still packed away in her backpack making their transition from room to room an easy one. "Are you guys going to fight me on this or are you going to tell me what room we can take? Preferably something a little more private."

There was a stifled giggle from Finn that no one missed. Even Ben had the humility to blush a little, "Right…" Poe drawled, clearly unamused. "I don't have the energy to fight you Rey, I really don't"

"Then don't" she quipped lightly as she steadied her bow staff at her side, "It's simple really, room - bed, fresher - water." she was dumbing it down for Poe in a way that made him roll his eyes at her.

"Yes, Lady Skywalker," he said with mock worship, lowering himself into an obnoxiously low bow. "Food, clothing and a med kit?"

Never one for passing up an opportunity Rey reached out her staff and thwacked Poe on the head with it before realizing the poor man was concussed. He cried out as he drew himself upright and rubbed at his throbbing head. She felt bad, a little anyway as he furrowed a brow and groaned, "The lady has a temper." he grumbled as Rey dropped her bag and weapon and drew her friend into a warm tight hug.

They stood, bodies pressed against one another for a moment as Poe rest her chin against her shoulder. He inhaled the scent of her deeply clinging to one of the few good things left untouched by war and chaos. Rey was pure and represented hope. That was why Kylo Ben scared him so much. He rocked her back and forth a moment enjoying the quiet peace before letting her go. His hands cupped her face and Rey could feel the rippling heat of jealousy coursing through the force around them. She smiled at Poe who smiled back as his thumb traced a line across her cheek. "Upstairs, there are fewer people on the upper level. Back corridor near the stained glass windows. There should be no one there."

Raising her hands to cover his Rey broke out in a broad toothy grin, "thank you." she mouthed, pressing her forehead to his as a tendril of annoyance licked along the line where she and Poe connected.

Oblivious to the dark rage that was simmering beneath the surface of Ben's quiet demeanour Poe turned to Finn, "I'm going back to my room buddy, can you make sure they get their food and whatever else it was they asked for?"

Nodding Finn agreed with little to no reluctance. Rey almost wondered if he wasn't coming around a little to the idea of Ben being one of them. At the very least he wasn't as hostile to the child of Solo and that in her books was a big win.

Poe dismissed the remaining soldiers and told them he and General Finn would be taking care of their prisoner. When the hallway was finally empty, they made their move. Finn had wrapped Ben up in a bed sheet making him look oddly like a Jawa. His form was hunched slightly beneath the weight of his injury and his legs weren't moving as well as they had been before. It was a slow process but when they finally ascended the stairs Rey found the corridor Poe had been talking about. Her friends had split away, Poe mumbling about getting some rest while Finn promised he would be up as quickly as possible.

She was happy to be able to enjoy this moment of quiet with Ben. As he leaned part of his weight against her for support she wound her light around him soothing the raging jealousy that bubbled beneath his surface. He was still quick to temper, that she figured was simply part of his personality but he was getting better at controlling the rage. She couldn't feel him spiralling through the darkness or clawing his way back to sanity and that was reason enough to celebrate.

The hallway before them had two doors, side by side with mosaic of colors marbled into the wall opposite. The pattern started with a tight centre spiralling out in arcs of colors like a rainbowed sunrise. They chose the door furthest away, pushing it open with gentle care. It creaked from an obvious lack of use but opened into a moderately sized but very welcoming room.

The bed was tall and made of dark wood, framed by pillars at each corner and draped in a white gossamer fabric that twinkled like starlight. Rey put her bag down leaning her staff against the wall beside the door as she helped Ben to a near by chaise. She took in their surroundings with a tremor of wonder reaching out through the force to let her energy touch everything. The windows were large and draped in brilliant deep purple that matched the bed spread. The walls were a rich mahogany wood on the bottom with intricately carved designs along their paneling, the top done in heavy blocks of beige stonework. Beside the bed only a few feet away was a large fireplace lined with carved soapstone, smooth beneath her fingers as she ran them along the indenting. There was a pile of dry stacked wood to the left beside an iron poker and some strange carvings of beasts that Rey had never seen before. Above the wall mounted in the stone was a piece of woven ironwork swirling around itself like coiling vines accented by leaf work. It was a strange dark gold color that barely stood out against the light stonework.

Rey could feel Ben watching her as she made a loop around the bed to look out the window. They were at the back of the Senate Building, in a room that would catch the morning sun as it rose. Beneath their tall searching windows was a courtyard over run with untamed trees and hedges. The stone work path distorted with tall grass and over run with wild flowers. Still there was a raw beauty to it that made Rey want to explore it's winding pathways and secrets. Their fresher was behind a door furthest away from the bed, she found as she peeked her head in. It wasn't large room by any standards sporting a basin of a sink standing on a pedestal, a large mirror and a toilet. "There's no shower…" she told him as she popped back out from her wanderings.

Ben was chuckling, "No but there is a bath," he told her, causing her to quirk her head a little to the side. He shifted so he was sitting up holding his hand out for her to take it. With her help he made his way to his feet, applying pressure now to the wound on his shoulder. It was starting to look a little inflamed beneath his shirt and Rey made a mental note they needed to get him out of the damn thing as soon as possible. He made his way from the chaise to the end of the bed, his backside sinking into the cushiony softness with pliant ease. "There." he said with a nod of his head.

Rey looked and all she saw was a large troff like those they used on Jakku to water the animals. It was made of hard stone and had metal taps protruding from a pipe that came up out of the floor and hung over the open basin. "Have you never taken a bath before?" he asked incredulously.

"I barely got to use the sonic on Jakku, and I've been living on ships and force forsaken Ahch-to. They had a bathing basin I suppose, some people bathed in the rivers on Ajan Kloss but I've never seen anything quite like this before." She ran her fingers along its smooth surface. It felt cold and hard but the look of it made her curious, very curious.

"Turn the tap." Ben instructed with a nod of his head. He was beginning to peel away the bloody cloth from his skin as he did so. His motions were uneasy and done with great effort. The strain of which Rey felt through the force causing her to turn around and catch him in the act.

"You stubborn happabore," she grumbled as she turned to help him. He had his injured shoulder slung and stuck and his large head wrapped up in the fabric. It was like watching a bloggin stuck in a net with no way of escape. It was hard not to laugh as he grunted and huffed but when he sucked in a steady gasp with a hiss she knew he was too far gone to get himself out.

"You're going to hurt yourself even more," she chided patiently as her touch stilled his struggle. She wound her way through the dark fabric, pulled taut against him, "How did you survive as Supreme leader…" she teased pulling the fabric loose from around his head so that an ear, then some hair and finally the full mass of his head popped free. He looked offended but Rey grinned as she pushed his hair back and off his face and swooped in for a kiss.

It was quick, but gentle, the soft brush of a butterflies wings against the fullness of his mouth. She was smiling as she drew back, easing the material down and over his shoulder with dedicated care. She took her time, helping him to lift his arm, supporting the limb as she moved the shirt around him instead of jarring the already injured appendage. It took some jigging but with a determined effort they managed to extract him from his shirt and he sat there bathed in moonlight, bare from the waist up. She allowed her eyes to rover over his skin, taking in every inch with painstaking slowness. His chest raised and lowered with every steady breath as he basked in her attention. He could fell her through the force and she knew it. His force signature sparked and danced beneath the thoughtful scrutiny as his breathing quickened and her fingertips traced along the line of his clavicle.

The scorched flesh was hellishly red and charred at the site of impact. By all rights the shot should have pierced through his skin rendering the limb useless but instead some how Ben had been lucky. It was possible the settings had been modified to incapacitate instead of incinerate upon impact. Vicrul seemed to have a penchant for watching his victims suffer. Even in this dull light though she could see where the skin was burned away and the red meaty tissue beneath screamed. They'd need a protein probe to stimulate cellular regrowth and a bacta

patch or if she were lucky a regeneration bandage.

Where was Finn with that med pack?

"I'm going to get a clean cloth," she told him as she disappeared quickly into the fresher. She made short work searching the cupboards and area around until she found a stack of washing cloths. She drew a sink full of tepid water and submerged the cloth a handful of times before wringing it out and returning to Ben's side. With gentle hands she pressed the cloth against the area around the wound cleaning away the dried blood and bits of fabric threads matted into it. She was careful watching Ben's face with every light press to gauge his level of discomfort. To her surprise he didn't make a sound as she patted and pressed around before finally pressing the cloth directly over the scorched wound.

That was when Ben made a strangled noise. His teeth were clenched as he watched her, dark eyes intent on remaining utterly still. When she finally moved the cloth away he let out a ragged sigh and focused on returning his breathing to a steady rate.

"You should turn the tap," he told her again, his voice a little more unsteady now.

She did as she was instructed, the pipes shuttering to life, rumbling a moment before spilling clear beautiful liquid into the large basin. It startled her and Ben laughed. He watched as she waved her fingers through the stream of water, marvelling at the soft warmth that trailed over her skin. "Just let it run for a bit," he said softly with a hand held out in her direction.

She took it with a smile as he pulled her down against him careful not to move his injured shoulder. He had her sit in his lap, her legs draped over the side of his as he nuzzled his nose into her shoulder kissing at the soft flesh exposed to him. She could feel his affection, strong like the beating of a heart, his heart she realized fondly. It was warm and sweet filling her mind with images of lakes and lush green grass. Places he wanted to show her, wonders he wanted to share.  
Balancing on his knee she rocked into his embrace and met his warmth with a shuddering wave of peaceful serenity. She bathed him in the gentle ease of it soothing away the pain vibrating against his shoulder. She groaned ever so lightly as she felt the prickle of nerve endings raw and exposed. Flesh burnt away leaving muscle and tendons exposed and over stimulated. His pain became hers and his suffering lessened. His heart beat steadied and his breathing became a steady puff of air.

"Mmm," she mumbled as his lips met her cheek then the spot behind her ear just over the pulse point, "You need a bath." she told him adding a questioning "right?"

Ben chuckled and she could feel the sound ripple all around her. It was deep and booming as be cradled her back against his good arm securely. "That would be amazing," he told her evenly, eyeing the bathwater from their seated position a few feet away, "Just keep an eye on that to make sure we don't fill it too much."

"Don't distract me then," she mumbled, her lips pressed against his brow as they lazily went about worshipping the others flesh with innocent caresses and soft sweet kisses.

That was when a gentle cough barked from the door, stirring them from their private moment. Rey wobbled on Ben's lap and then shot to her feet as they both looked up to find Finn had joined them quietly. He had a pack wrapped around his fingers and a trey in his hand. To Rey's delight he had ignored her request for ration packs and brought up real food. There was dried meats and a few left over cheeses as well as a cut up apple, or two, a pair of metal cups and some corellian fire whisky.

"Finn!" she cried happily, pulling him in and shutting the door behind him. He was setting the pack down on the bed before looking for a surface to place with plate of food.

Settling for an old desk littered with strange books and loose papers he adjusted himself so that he was a little closer to the door. He'd kept the Corellian whisky in hand she noted, quite glad he wasn't about to leave the dangerously sweet liquid with her for the evening.  
"I raided the kitchen." he explained, "There are a few protein bars in the pack as well as a loaf of bread that appeared to be freshly made. I think it was suppose to be for breakfast tomorrow. Our secret I suppose."

Rey was slowly pulling things from the pack as he went on, extracting the food, then the clothing before she found what she was looking for. The med pack looked to be new, unbroken and unused which was perfect, it should have exactly what she was looking for. She broke the seal and started to thumb through the contents. When she finally drew out a long sharp looking pen, Finn flinched. "Not even going to let the man eat first," he said in a way that brokered a sympathetic frown, "Thats cold, even for you,"

Ben gave her a look that said he agreed as she stabbed the pointy end of the pen into his shoulder and held it there for a series of steady breaths. Finn looked squeamish and so cast his gaze around the room appraisingly, "The rooms a lot smaller then the others huh?" He observed casually.

"It was the old Jedi chambers, from years gone by." Ben cut in to explain, "Luke kept them exactly as they were when they set out to rebuild the galaxy. Things sort of started here and then gradually moved around."

"I always forget how much you know about this stuff," Finn said offhandedly, the sound of running water drawing his attention. He was suddenly very uncomfortable shifting his weight from foot to foot. Rey could see him testing the air, appraising the situation. He was feeling for something, she just couldn't tell what. "I should go…" he finally said, his words slow and a laced with a question. Not whether or not he should stay but more whether or not she would be ok.

They always seemed to want to save her. It was annoying at first, like when Finn kept trying to hold her hand. She was so use to being alone, having no real understanding of the comfort of human touch or what it meant to support someone else. She had yelled at Finn a lot when he always seemed to be touching her, always there, always present but she soon realized that was what friends did. They were there for one another and Finn's obsessive need to hold her hand wasn't out of a misguided notion that she was incapable of taking care of herself. It was solidarity fuelled by his own need for comfort.

When she realized they weren't treating her like a damsel in distress and more like a little sister she warmed to the idea of having someone, or several someones looking out for her. Still now, it was hard to wrap her head around the concept. Particularly when their familial heckles were up around the man that made Rey feel things no one had ever made her feel before. In some bizarre sense she did get to be just a girl and he was just a guy and her friends just wanted her to be safe.

"Thanks Finn…" she said with a broad grin moving to embrace her friend in a warm grateful hug which Finn returned gladly. He seemed to watch Ben as he got up and turned the water off, standing in his shirtless glory like a statue made of lodestone.

"You good?" he asked, "like good good with all of this?" He didn't just mean the room or Ben's presence, he meant all of it, inquiring after the state of her mental well being like an older brother ready to beat someone up when given the word.  
Rey nodded resolutely, "Yeah, I just need to rest." she told him, giving him another tight hug for good measure. "Thanks, check on Poe before you turn in will you?"

Rolling his eyes Finn let out a playfully exasperated groan, "Oh I stopped in on my way up and Im heading there again now. He's all bent out of shape about tomorrow. Leia should be here." Rey could feel as Ben's force signature fluctuated, his mind straining under emotions he had a hard time quantifying. "He wants to get it right."

Finn was getting ready to leave, he had turned, his hand on the doorknob when he turned back and gave Rey a soft genuine smile, "He has your back… tomorrow I mean. We both do. We'll vote for his freedom." He paused as though allowing the truth of his words to settle around him before he gave a curt nod and tossed Rey a "G'nighte Lady Skywalker," in a tone of irony before he slipped out the door.

Rey and Ben were plunged into a steady silence as the force danced and gyrated around them. Rey found Ben at her back, a gentle hand on her shoulder as he exhaled and said, "That was unexpected."

Rey smiled to herself, watching the area where her friend had just been standing, "Not really," she told him surely before turning to press herself into his chest. The room was a few degrees warmer on account of the warm bath drawn and Ben had managed to make a fire sometime in the last few minutes without her realizing. The air smelt like burning wood and Rey delighted in the heady feeling slowly crawling over her.

She was so focused on that that she didn't notice the spike in Ben's anxiety until he ran a hand down along her neck. He was touching her skin but feeling along her force signature, searching, probing for a direction in which to fall. He was like a little boy lost, unsure which path to take. "You ok?" she asked cautiously as his large hand cupped her ear.

"You… uh want to take a bath with me?" He asked with hesitant sweetness. She met his roving curiosity with her own, delving into his intentions and thought patterns. He wasn't as easy to read as she would have hoped. His thoughts and desires spiking and crashing with alarming inconsistency.

Not entirely sure what to say or do she glanced from Ben to the warm water worrying at her bottom lip with her canine. He'd already sort of seen her naked, or a lot of her anyway and he had been very gentlemanly in his actions up until this point. She cold feel with warm coiling passion that pulled at his dark heated need but he remained perfectly still. He controlled the darkness and the furious need to take her against his body and know her, carnally.

That thought brought a blush to her cheeks and Ben responded with a soft, "Sorry." ashamed of his inability to control his mind in her presence.

Instead of speaking she reached out through the force, calming his quaking heart with a soft easing of energy against energy, She treated him to the deeper desires swirling about her core and forced herself to make eye contact. Then, as quickly as they were there, they were gone, replaced with the bright light of affection and warmth, "You're allowed to want Ben… there is no shame in it. It's taking without consideration that becomes a problem."

He nodded, the fear of his own darkness a mounting presence as he watched her slowly begin to remove her clothing. The warm air felt good against her naked skin as she folded her arms against her chest, body pivoted so that he solely got a look at tanned thigh and partial backside which he'd already gotten an eye full of.

She felt him as his force signature bucked and raged pushing the mounting desire into a neatly made little box. He was afraid to touch her, afraid to let his dark sins anywhere near her, afraid he would tarnish her with the blackness of his soul. When she realized where these thoughts were coming from she carefully held out a hand, extending it towards him, "Let it go Ben," she purred softly, "Let the past go,"

She was offering him her hand and he needed to decide if he now was ready to take it.

* * *

_Looks like I lied, that wasn't the end. The tug to keep going was too strong and so I leaned into it. I have no designated path here so be patient as I hadn't planned out beyond the last chapter. I figured though we should probably see where things go with Ben's trial and all that good stuff. I also want to leave an explanation for some of the things that have been brought up through the last few chapters instead of leaving things hanging. Thank you for your support and your encouragement as well as your constructive criticisms. I love all the feed back! Thanks my darlings xo_


	10. Chapter 10

_For some force forsaken reason when I wrote this about half way through I changed tenses without realizing it. Ive read and re-read and re-read again changing it so that it was far more comprehensive but I don't know... Here's hope it makes sense. It's long and it's not that I had intended to write. I struggled with the content a lot because I hadn't really wanted to take this here. I wanted to skirt around but this just kind of happened. The rating has changed for reason which will become obvious as you read so I guess this is your warning. Smut ahead! Let me know what you think darlings. xo._

* * *

In one moment she was offering him everything. Laid bare, utterly raw and vulnerable, the warm air soothing but for a gentle nip against her naked flesh. He stood watching, his darkness roaring wildly around him pinning him in his spot. She could feel his need to touch her reaching out like the trembling hand of a child as his desire to consume her bucked and hammered against his resolve. He was still yet shaking. His dark eyes alight with an emotion Rey couldn't quite place. She'd never had anyone look at her in quite that way before. Like he was afraid if he blinked she might disappear.

When he didn't move, she reached out through the force and gently edged her affection around him. He was still as stone, afraid to move, utterly enraptured by her presence and the overwhelming wave of emotions that crashed over him. He was lost and found all in one moment, his soul ripped open and rendered raw. He wanted her in every way a person could want another human being and yet was petrified of the implications of acting on those desires. He didn't want to scare her but the lack of her touch was suffocating him. He needed to, he wanted to, he had to touch her but every time he willed his body to reach out he was met with a vice grip of resistance. He would taint her, he would destroy her. He would snuff out the light which he coveted. It was as thought he had been tumbling through their interactions hoping it would come to this but now that it was here, the reality of it made him realize he didn't deserve it.

He wanted to be good, he was desperate for it but the rising tide of darkness that fuelled his desire was pulling him deeper into something that didn't even resemble human need. It crushed her heart to see his pain and confusion but she stood with her hand extended to him as he once had her. She could feel as her eyes grew hot, tears welling behind thick lashes threatened to spill over her cheeks. Willing herself steady she felt her hand betray her with a delicate tremble, "Please." She all but sobbed against the air. The warmth of a tear slipped through the damn she had walled around her emotions. There was one and then another, tiny rivers of salty pain leaving trails against her skin.

His eyes moved from her hand to her face, looking passed her naked body at the desperate soul beneath. She let her walls down, the ones she had been hiding her truest, deepest desires behind. The ones she kept hidden even from him, specially from him. The tears fell like rain, dripping off her cheeks and down her neck uninterrupted and unrestrained. She could feel as he searched through her force energy, pressing against it questioningly. His eyes softened, his breath hitched and something inside him shattered. She could feel it like obsidian cracking under the pressure of his volcanic need before exploding.

With gentle hesitance he reached out, sliding his fingers across hers, slowly at first. He was careful, easy not to move too quickly as his feet slid against the floor in a half step. Before she knew what was happening his body was crushed against hers pressed flush against the bare expanse of her front. His face was mere inches from her own as he looked down into her eyes reading all she had to give. Searching dark marbles of beautiful whisky drank her in as he leaned in partially and trailed kisses across her cheeks, washing away the tears with his affection.

Quickly he hugged her tight, pulling her cheek against the bare warmth of his chest. She moulded against him as he clung to her, breathing her in. He felt hard and soft at the same time, warm and smooth and so deliciously right. Her heart beat hammered against her chest as he held her to him for a moment longer, his hand lost in her hair as he worked it loose and free. She enjoyed the way he made her feel, the way his force signature felt as it groped and slide against her own. There was a understanding that while both had known the intimate touch of another, they had never shared an experience like this with another living soul.

Her heart sung as she drank in the feel of him. Warm and wondrous and adoring, "I know," He pressed against her head, reading the truth of her emotions and all that she had to offer.

At that she clung to him tighter, winding her arms under his and around his torso as she drug blunted nails down his back. "Please," she spoke in a whispered sob, begging to know his truth in response. She could feel it but she had to hear it, had to know it.

He shuddered against her inhaling deeply before he drew back. Their chests pressed together he found her face and smiled one of the few true, deep smiles she'd ever seen grace his features. "I do," he said softly, "I do, I do, I do," he repeated as he kissed her. His mouth was fearful and insistent, starting as a solid line against hers before he opened himself to it. His lips moved with languid slowness against hers shifting in a back and forth that she met with a gentle need. Their heads moved as their lips danced against one another, the soft slide of a tongue against a lip, a groan of approval, an encouraging moan. He coaxed and encouraged her to dominate him with each press of his lips. Rey met him with fevered anticipation, swallowed up buy the tide of his emotions rising through the force.

When he finally pulled away, their lips kiss swollen, eyes glittering with a roaring hunger only partially met she found herself pressing her forehead against his chest in heated embarrassment. She was naked, bare in all ways possible and he… he was perfect.

Curiously she looked into him, peeking like a timid child through his winding force energy. "I wonder if it was like this for others." he mused, saying the words before she tripped over the half formed formed thought of them.

She didn't know how to answer and so stepped back and away from him with a newly formed confidence. It was wavering and stunted at best but she took the opportunity to turn away from him and step into the warm water of the bath. Ben was wide eyed as he took in her lithe form slipping beneath the water until she was resting against the incline. She drug her hands through the wonderfully warm liquid marvelling at the way the heat embraced her, enveloping her entire being in it's sweet cocoon of safety.

When he still didn't move she held her hand out in offering, the water dribbling off her fingertips. In his stunned stupor Ben moved forward, lifting a leg to step into the tub, stopping only as Rey's laughter drew him from his thoughts.

"I'm new to this bath thing but I was under the impression clothing was unnecessary." she mused, lolling her head back against the slope of the large stone surface.

Ben looked down at himself and then over her body. She knew he could feel her apprehension as it spiked through the force around them. She tried not to think too deeply on what this all meant or where this was taking them because that was a hole that lead to patterned sadness. Those thoughts led to thoughts of tomorrow and she didn't want to think on that time. She wanted to enjoy him, enjoy them. She wanted to be just a girl and explore the true depth of their force bond.

It was Ben's turn to blush, he must have picked up on her pondering she realized, or the surge of desire she blatantly let run through the force. Still he moved with calm stillness, shifting his pants and under things down over his legs. She took a moment to appreciate him, the lean roundness of his muscles, the way he very clearly took quite good care of himself. He was confident too which made him all the more attractive. Rey loved the broadness of his chest and how its swept down into a well tapered waist. This was her first time see him, all of him in this way and she was pleased to note it was far from disappointing. His desire for her awakening something that made Ben a little sheepish. He shifted under her stare as he stepping into the water and allowed his lower half to slip under.

They sat in silence, the warm water shifting around them as one moved, or the other adjusted. The basin wasn't small but Ben wasn't small either and their two bodies took up a lot of space when together. She watched him as he relaxed his head back, his knees poking out of the water as he tented them against the hard surface of the basin bottom. He was long and while the bath would have fit his form perfectly, the little bit of extra space she took up made it a cramped. Still, his eyes held her in place, quietly calculating as he allowed their current situation to settle in around him.

Rey simply smiled, wiggling her toes against the outside of his thigh as their bodies adjusted to being around one another. Ben groped for the offending digits, pulling on her big toe with a wiggle which made her laugh as she drew her leg up and let it rest against his knee. The flesh on the bottoms of her feet were healed but still tender in the warmth of the bath so when Ben took it within his grasp and started to massage the under side, Rey stiffened. His thumbs were strong, dragging in slow motions against the plantar surface of her foot. He squeezed and kneaded until Rey was able to let go and relax into the touch. She was giddy with satisfaction as she melted into his ministrations. Stirring only at the sound of his voice.

"So…" he drawled softly, continuing to take in the sight of her, cheeks flushed against the heat of the water and his deliciously persistent fingers. "Lady Skywalker huh?"

She groaned immediately, she should have known that this was coming and she couldn't help but feel incredibly embarrassed. "Well I wasn't going to go by Palpatine was I?" she quipped to which he seemed to agree.

"Why a need for any given name?" he questioned, continuing his work on her feet with delightful slowness.

He couldn't understand it, he'd always had a name, a designation, a belonging. She had grown up with none of those things and so the idea of having one was awe inspiring. She hadn't cared at first but as more and more people pressed, the idea of being Rey, just Rey was oddly lonely. "For the history books," she declared dramatically, when he show'd no signs of dropping the topic she sighed, "Look, You've had a people to belong to, you may not have aways like it but you knew who you were."

He raised a brow as if to argue but stilled a moment, dropping her one foot only to search out its mate, basking it in the same lovely attention he had the first. "Han was given his name by the empire." he said with a tone of irony, "My family name isn't one that has dramatic significance, merely that Han was alone. Jakku, Corellia, it's really no different when you think about everything you both went through."

Flustered, Rey collected her thoughts trying to word it in a way that didn't sound childish or petulant. What was wrong with wanting a given name anyway? "It's a matter of knowing who I am."

"You're Rey," he responded simply.

"Yes but who is that?" He looked like he was ready to toss out a quick response and so she continued, "There will be people chronicling these days, people will be reading about them in years to come. When my name is read I want to be associated with something other then Jakku and being left behind."

"It's your story though," he pressed.

"But not my entire story. Your mother and your Uncle helped to shape me into who I am. Your father too and you really. I couldn't take Organa, that was too on the nose and Solo… well." she blushed, "Luke was the last Skywalker, I didn't think the legacy should have ended there. You're a Solo after all."

Ben looked curiously amused, "There is nothing wrong with it," he told her with a chuckle, "But it does sort of make it sound like you're my cousin."

She hadn't thought about that. "No ones going to…" she muttered,

He only laughed harder, "They might." With a dramatic sigh he added, "They can't be lovers, they're cousins!"

Rey felt her cheeks redden drastically as she sunk down into the water so her shoulders disappeared, "Is that what we are? Lovers?"

Ben stilled, dropping her foot, he hadn't realized what he had said until the words were out of his mouth. He blinked once, then again, his eyes searching her face, as if the pale roundness of her cheeks or the slope of her nose held the answer. With a roguish smile he stated simply, "Well we certainly aren't cousins."

She prodded her toe into his hip and he twitched away from her attack grabbing her foot in his large hand. He sough the other and then gave a slight tug, pulling her towards him so that she slipped into the water with an exasperated huff. He used the opportunity to slide himself forward, dropping her feet behind his back so that they were pressed into the middle of the basin, their limbs draped over one another. If she was being honest with herself she wasn't sure what she had expected them to be. There was no label that seemed to fit correctly into the space that their relationship occupied. She was Rey, he was Ben and she loved him. Thinking the words made her swallow hard. He was winding his arms around her pulling her close with little to no regard for their state of undress or how close their intimate areas may be from touching.

"Is that what you want to be?" she asked breathlessly as he hoisted her up, ignoring the blaring pain that rippled through his shoulder. Her knees were pressed between basin walls and Ben's hips, her thighs resting against his awkwardly. She could feel his arousal and desire pulling like a current through the force as he arched his head back and looked up at her.

"I simply want to be with you," he told her, resting his chin against the hallow between her breasts. "My soul wants to be close to yours. I feel like I could go my entire life without being intimate with you so long as you let me be close to you." He placed a kiss against her sternum and smiled nuzzling his nose against the skin there.

Rey laughed at his declaration, his very obvious desire for intimacy pressing against her thigh in a thick blatant line. She drew her fingers through his hair resting her arms against his shoulders as she draped them around his neck. "A vow of celibacy then?" she chimed.

He groaned at the teasing, smiling against her chest, "Is that what you want?" His kisses were feather light as he worshiped her flesh with dedicated ease. Large hands explored the contours of her back, his force signature singing in a low pleased hum at the delicious closeness her body provided.

She sighed out a soft, humming noise and then, "No…" her tone lazy and catlike as she settled her hips lower, pressing herself a little tighter, a little closer to his growing need. "But I'm patient," she quipped as she twirled a lock of hair around her finger from the base of his neck. Ben quirked a brow as he growled against her flesh causing her to giggle. His patience was schooled and careful but his desire was like a wrecking ball slamming into the walls of his willpower. "Can you say the same?" she teased softly, picking up on his torment with a gloating grin.

"Are you issuing a challenge Lady Skywalker?" he purred as he left wet open mouthed kisses against her skin now, his tongue dragging a sinuous line along her chest.

Mumbling a, "Maybe," she cast herself into the feeling of it, the soft fullness of his mouth, the warm wetness from his tongue. The gentle, urgent pressure from his fingers as they pressed into her shoulders holding her in place as she tried to rock against him. A need for friction was mounting from with in, she needed to feel him move across her, graze her where she ached to know his touch. Still he worked slowly, moving up, pressing kisses across her collarbone avoiding the sensitive scape of her breasts. He was trying to prove to her that he could be patient, that he could wait but it also proved that she could not.

"What are the terms," he said as he drew back, his mouth, a warm inviting presence just above her nipple. She could feel his breath coming in soft and easy pants as he hovered over it defiantly.

Her head swam, all she could think about was that devilish mouth and the dangerous promises he made. "Terms?" she asked hazily.

He knew he had her and she didn't even care, "You know, is this a no touching sort of game? Are we allowed to touch but not certain areas? Or do I win when you decide you've had enough and you want me buried deep inside you." His last question was spoken in a low almost feral tone, "Am I allowed to…" he pressed before his mouth descended on her nipple, his tongue winding around the small pink bud as he took it into his mouth. His teeth scrapped ever so lightly against her flesh as he brought his mouth around it and sucked ever so gently.

She gasped, her back arching beneath the sensation of him as he opened his mouth to lave her breast with his tongue. His lips moved greedily against her before drawing back with a wicked grin. Rey was panting lightly, warmth and need pooling in her belly as his attention shifted to the other. He kissed along its swell slowly as a hand crept to her front, fingertips lazily dragging along the wet nipple as he took to worshiping its twin.

Force be damned his mouth was sinful, she wound her fingers through his hair and tugged with light insistence. He groaned at the pressure provided, his mouth drawing harder on her flesh. Rey mewled softly as his broad fingertips traced delicate patterns around her breast lazily, every so often grazing the swollen nipple at its centre. He took his time and as she rest her hips down against him she could feel as Ben's erection bounced against her leg. He was enjoying this too, maybe just a little more then he wanted to let on.

With a steady hand she traced down along his neck, his shoulder and then pushed him back from her chest. There was an audible but light pop and the cool air hit her saturated tissue causing her to shiver. Ben looked up curiously but before he could react she dipped her hand down and into the water between where their bodies sat in close proximity. She kissed him softly, as her hand found him aching in wait. He was solid and strong and gloriously ready for anything. With a testing movement she grasped him and gave a soft but sure stroke.

It was his turn to gasp as his eyes drew wide, her hold tightened just a little moving her hand now in a slow and steady rhythm. "Only if I'm allowed to do this," she mumbled against his lips as he groaned, his fingers digging desperately into her back. She felt him buck just a little, gaining a little more friction as she wiggled her wrist in an awkward angle.

"Kriff," he gasped into her mouth. "I don't." she smiled as his mouth moved but continued her kissing, stuttering his words as he kept up with her movement.

Then, just as quickly as she had started, he pulled her hand away. His breathing was heavy and she decided she liked the sound of that but she wasn't sure why she had been stopped. She was sure the celibacy thing had been a tease but now she was starting to worry there may have been some seriousness to it. Ben simply shook his head, "I want to know you properly." he said rather cryptically. Did he mean he wanted to know her better? What's your favourite color? Whats your favourite food?h Those kinds of things?

Rey must have looked confused because Ben chuckled softly as he brushed a stand of hair away from her face, tucking it behind her ear. "I'm not having you in the bath" he said with a deep sureness that made her core throb, "If its your desire to…" and at that implication his words died away.

"It is," she said softly, "We should probably wrap your shoulder first though." she said with an odd level of practicality, "And your hair needs to be washed."

Reluctantly he agreed and allowed her to lavish him in attention. She groped for a pitcher that she found on the back side of the basin and set to dosing his hair. She scrubbed her fingers through it working at his scalp as he moved to turn his back against her. She was quick and effective cleaning away the dirt and grime until the water was a disturbing shade of grey. When she was content with a job she considered very well done she stood on wobbly knees, the water dripping off her in rivets. With no drying cloth in site Rey stepped onto the hardwood floor, her feet leaving watery prints in her wake. She stepped cautiously on the pads of her feet as she flitted about trying to find something to wrap around her wet body.

She hadn't noticed Ben until he joined her, his arms wrapping around her waist as he nuzzled into her from behind. She could feel the length of him as he pressed against her, lean strong legs, his hips and torso as he held her against him strong and wet. "Impatient." she purred softly, not a complaint but a teasing admonishment as the hand of his good arm traced soft patterns against her middle. He breathed in the scent of her, a rumbling sound erupting from his throat as he bent and kissed at her ear, nipping the flesh softly. "Ben Solo, you beast," she grumbled as she pulled away. She dared not look at him. She couldn't meet his eye and the want she knew lie swirling in those deep hazel wells.

Scampering away she found the fresher door and slipped in side, closing it behind her. She needed to catch her breath, to stop herself from drowning and figure out if these desires of hers were something she really ought to act upon. What happened if things went poorly tomorrow after one glorious evening together? What would she do if she were never able to have him again? To know him intimately pressed against her, pressed inside of her? What if things went well? Would it then matter if they knew each other physically then? Should she save it for a moment of celebration?

What if things went poorly and she never knew the heat of his touch? Her heart ached, pounding in her chest as a heated buzz erupted in her ears throwing her into a state of static shock. She was crying without realizing it, her force signature reaching out for Ben unintentionally. She could feel him on the other side of the door, her name on his lips in quiet question. Her distress was palpable and fierce as she let out a soft sob and braced herself against the washing basin.

When she looked up, she caught her imagine in the mirror. Her face was pale and her eyes rimmed red and puffy. The ends of her hair were wet but not saturated and her lips were kiss swollen, the feel of him still lingering there. She could feel his hesitant tug through the force and she smiled softly to herself. He was there now. He was here with her. She had an opportunity so few were ever granted and for the sake of all those who were never given this chance, she had to take it.

Wiping the tears away with a shaking hand she moved to collect a towel, wrapping it once around her body before tucking the material in so it held its place. She grabbed two more, dabbed her eyes dry again and opened the door. Ben was standing on the other side, his head hunched as though he were listening for signs of her inside. "Ben," she said, his name like a bandaid on an aching heart. He was there now and he was real, so very real.

Before he could right himself to his full height she threw a towel over his head and shuffled it around in an attempt to dry it off. Ben chuckled as he stood up, but Rey didn't let his height deter her, instead she grasped the ends of the towel and pulled it back and forth, shimmying it against his damp hair. "What are you…?" he asked as she continued her task. She took simple joy in the mundane exercise of drying the hair of the person you loved.

"You're a wet soppy mess," she chided as he pulled the towel back peeking down at her through wet hair falling into his eyes. She smiled at him and traced a finger along his cheek as she tucked the hair behind his ear and leaned up to kiss the end of his nose. "You're beautiful." she told him softly as she left the towel on his head and wrapped the other around his waist. Ben seemed confused by the sudden covering up of the parts he wished to be exploring but followed her instruction tucking the towel securely as she led him back to the bed.

With diligent fingers she made her way through the med pack pulling out a bandage along with a thick tube of gauze. Ben watched intently as she worked, rubbing the towel casually against his wet mop before handing it over to Rey. She used the material to pat his injured shoulder dry and then groped for a can of antibacterial spray. "Sorry," she muttered to herself as she blasted the burnt flesh and raw muscle with the substance. Ben hissed, inhaling sharply before his breathing steadied and the numbing agent in the spray took affect. Rey worked quickly as she extracted the regeneration bandage, separated the packaging and placed it cool gooey side down against the wound. She held it a moment and let the area absorb the material before she wound the gauze around his shoulder and chest securing the bandage in place.

"You've done this before," he said idly as she pulled the gauze tighter against him. When she was done she secured it in place with a satisfied smile.

"Few times," she replied off handedly and ran her hand along his shoulder lightly in an affectionate sort of way. "More times then I would like, honestly." her words were sad but she smiled all the same, happy to be able to share this moment with him.

Her mind was a swirling vortex of emotions and thoughts. Darkness tugged at her and threw her into a pit of 'what ifs' and 'maybes' as she scrambled to cling to the light. Her fingers moved in a solid line along his flesh. She memorized the feel of him, the way his heart beat raced beneath her touch, or his skin felt like soft supple bloggin leather. He was smooth and hard and so incredibly real it made her heart hurt. She never wanted to leave this room, to go out into the world where they could be separated ever again.

Picking up on her whirlwind of emotions Ben turned, his knee hitched on the bed as he faced her properly. She sat on her knees, her backside resting against her heels as her touch began to tremble against him, "Hey… Hey…" he called softly as she peered off at the pale skin of his shoulder. He couldn't quite catch her gaze but when his finger drew her chin up, forcing her to look at him his heart broke. She felt him through the force, he surrounded her with his love and adoration. He was trying to protect her from the worlds hurt when what hurt most was idea that she might lose him. "I'm right here." he told her sweetly as his thumb brushed away her tears.

They fell in steady streams again and she cursed herself for being so weak. She cried again and this time she didn't think she could stop. Her shoulders shook and she let out a sob, half choked and half sniffles. "I can't…" she started but her words fell harsh and cracked beneath the weight of her emotion. She shook her head searched the force for the words, the feelings that could match this deep fear what welled and built up within her chest ready to explode. "Tomorrow…" no that wasn't it. That wasn't right.

Ben just let her go, his touch gentle and steady as she cried and cried before he gave up and pulled her tight against his body. "We face it together." he told her with a sweet hum.

She sniffled and nodded but wasn't happy with the simple answer of it, "I can't," she started again, "I don't know what I'll do if things…"

"They won't" he replied hopefully, "Poe has your back, he may hate me but he loves you. He and Finn will do anything to stop you from hurting."

"I can't imagine a world without you in it," she shuddered against him as the words fell in a whisper, "I don't think my soul could survive it." It was an emotional statement for sure, a declaration from a woman utterly smitten but there was also the raw truth of it. The way their bond wound them together, the way it connected them on a level beyond simple comprehension. Could she survive as one half of a whole? She hated that she sounded like a love sick fool but when she drew back and looked into Ben's eyes for comfort, she saw that he too was crying. His eyes filled with a strained level of devotion that rocked her to the core.

She could feel as he struggled to find the words he wanted to say but he kept getting lost in her eyes. "Force above," he muttered softly, "I love you," The words crashed into her like a wave, they stilled her sobs, as he shifted closer, "You've been everything from the moment our hands touched that first time."

His forehead bumped against hers and he smiled, "I love you and I refuse to leave you." he promised as he placed feather light kisses against her lips in a steady, easy rhythm. Before she knew what she was doing she pulled him down against her, his body a hard line of muscle hovering over top of her as he devoured her mouth intently. His lips moved against hers in sweeping motions, coaxing a soft moan of reply as he rest on his good elbow and tugged open her towel with his free hand.

The warm air of the room felt cool against her skin as he marvelled at her as she lie beneath him. She had her knees drawn together shyly as his injured arm ran his fingers in searching motions down and over her body. He kissed her mouth, then her cheek, then her neck as his hand slowly capped her knee and pushed them apart with gentle insistence. "Are you ok?" he mumbled against her throat as his fingers traced a line up her inner thighs, his touch begged for permission before he pushed their intimacy beyond a point of no repair.

Rey nodded as his lips ghosted over her pulse point, his searching fingers drew up along her thighs as they grasped at the strong muscle there. His hand kneaded at the soft flesh, his thumb sliding closer and closer until it lie just a breath away from her dampened need. He waited, giving her a moment incase she wanted to stop him, incase she changed her mind.

Star's end she was desperate for him to touch her, the white hot need of it manifested in an odd pressured pain focused solely within her core. "Ben," she breathed out softly, and he pulled away to look at her. She ran her fingers into his hair and pressed her palm against his face softly. He turned his head to kiss the inside of her wrist and smiled as he waited for her instruction, "Please touch me," she asked with a whimper.

She could feel his bucking desire push itself against the darkness wrapped around his desire. It was sweet and warm and thick, like when you pour water over hot rocks. It wrapped itself around her and drug its delicious talons across her force signature in warning. She felt herself shudder beneath its attention as Ben carefully let it out bit by bit. She ran her own energy over it in stroking calm, giving him her trust and complete devotion. He growled, a soft breathy admission of need as he took her lips quickly and allowed his fingers their treasured reward.

He drew a line across her slick opening, letting his thumb graze the swollen nub of her clit. His motions were slow and easy as he circled the little bundle of nerves and then slid one strong finger inside her. She gasped as he pushed it into her hard and firm, his mouth taking advantage of the pause to nibble on her bottom lip. It was euphoric, the feel of his finger as it pumped into her, his thumb bumping her clit and his force signature thrummed against hers. He was everywhere at once, his mouth sucked on her bottom lip with a gentle tug as he added a second finger. "Mmmm perfect," he muttered against her skin as he kissed his way down her body until his mouth met the underside of her belly and the soft thatch of dark curls neatly kept there.

Rey flushed with embarrassment as Ben nuzzled his nose against her flesh delicately before he took his place between her legs. He nudged one leg over his good shoulder as his other hand supported her hip and pulled her closer. His hot breath against her wet folds made her shudder lightly as he used his busy fingers to spread her wide and drew a wet line along the swollen pink flesh with his tongue. He took his time devouring her, his lips and tongue moving against her slick skin. He moved his thumb aside to worship her clit with his tongue while his fingers worked a steady beat pumping into her. They curled ever so slightly and drew out a loud gasp from Rey.

Ben smiled as he worked his tongue and drew a flat line against her as he curled his fingers again which caused Rey to cry out, "Kriff!" her chest heaved through panting gasps as a lovely rogue painted its way down her neck and across her breasts. "Ben," she moaned his name repeating it like a prayer, and he knew that he had her. She could feel his confidence bolster as he worked his tongue against her with one firm lick before he pulled back.

"Star's end you're tight," he muttered as his fingers sought their prize. They curled against her inner walls as his tongue resumed lazy strokes. He worked against the warm flesh of her as if were his only goal in life.

His words did something to her she didn't quite want to admit but there was a pressure built up within that felt so good but so raw. Her legs shook, his tongue pressed against her again and his fingers were right there. She was on the edge and he could feel it. His need hammered into her. It was a whisper of all of the marvellously filthy things he wanted to do it her and what he thought of the noises made by her sex as his fingers delve into it, drawing her pleasure from deep within. Before she was prepared the world around her exploded. Her walls fluttered against his fingers as his mouth worked at her wetness with renewed vigour. His fingers pushed into her with hard, earth shattering strokes as he worked to prolong her pleasure. Her back arched and she moaned, a sound ripping from her of the likes she had never heard before. She could feel the bed shake beneath the ripple of force energy around her and it's like her skin is on fire.

Ben pulled away, his smugness a prickle through the force as he wiped his mouth on his arm and crawled up along her body. They basked in the after glow of her orgasm as she reached out a hand to find his strained need pressed against her leg. Her fingers traced it's length drawing along its velvety underside before she grasped it and gave it a gentle yet insistent stroke. "That was…" she murmured as he nuzzled his nose into her shoulder, pressing a kiss to her collarbone softly.

"The most amazing thing I've even seen," he finished causing her to blush. "we don't have to do anything else…" he hedged, his hope a beacon beneath his chivalry. He was sweet and thoughtful and Stars end she simply had to have him.

He rest on his good shoulder, the line of gauze around his chest a reminder of his trails and tribulations early in the evening. With a gentle insistence Rey pushed Ben back. He was apprehensive at first, picking up on her line of thought through the force as she slipped down to her knees ready to take him wholly within her lips. Gently she prodded the length of him with her tongue as she popped the head of his engorged length into her mouth. She gave it a bob of her head before he pulled her away.

"Kriff, Rey," his words were strained but his meaning was clear. The depth of her undoing when it ripped through the force around them had brought Ben to a level of arousal that promised a swift end.

She smiled as she drew herself along his body with purposeful slowness until her pelvis hovered above his weeping need. She shifted so that her hips drew a line of dampness along his length teasingly and Ben inhaled sharply. "Rey…" he growled as his hands reached for her hips and he squeezed, stilling her a moment before her hips moved time she moved slower and along his entire length. She was saturated in a way that would be embarrassing if not for the way the force thundered around them. His need was raw and almost visceral as she slid a hand between them grasping a hold of him softly. He was coated in her dampness and she loved the way his force signature hummed against her in appreciation of it.

When she notched him against her she looked up and caught his eye. He was lost in a sea of lust, his eyes dark with need as she stared him down and shifted her hips. He was thicker then she'd had before and so the movement of it was painfully slow at first. Her walls stretched to take the full length of him. She could feel his self control as it held back his desire to buck and push up. He marvelled at how such a small human could be so strong and Rey could feel his need to have her as it rose to to meet her while she sunk down on him just a little further.

He was so careful as his thumbs rubbed circles against her hips, she could feel his restraint as he leashed his darkness as though it were something to be afraid of. "Let go Ben," she whispered as she wiggled her hips a little, taking in just a little more of him and Kriff it felt so good. "It's ok," she urged him, she needed just a little help getting the rest of the way. She reached out to him through the force as she pressed her desires against him. His eyes were wide and questioning but she nodded and his hold on her hips grew stronger, more urgent and with a gentle pressure he pushed into her, buried to the root. They both groaned and Force be damned he felt so good. She never felt such a warm stretch or such intensity before and she couldn't wait to move.

He was calm and steady until she shifted her hips and her the force around her sang with an urge to feel him. She rose up off of him only to sink down again, a little harder, a little faster this time, testing out the stretch of him as it pulled at her insides. Ben cursed as he groaned and she did it again. She moaned as she angled her hips and found a way to gain friction against her clit and fill herself all in one motion. Without a thought she grabbed his hands and squeezed them as she bounced a little, shifting her hips and grinding down against him. She could see him as he watched the area where they're joined, completely taken in by the way her body swallowed him whole.

The pressure returned before she had time to register and the force around them felt constricted. It was suffocating and deliciously tight and he was gliding into easily her now. She felt his need as it wound around her clawing at her as his own release built up desperately. Without warning Ben found her clit and he rubbed his thumb against it. His pressure hard and steady and so unbelievable delicious. He thumbed against her as he watched himself disappear within her walls, reemerging coated in her desire. She could see it in his mind as he rubbed his thumb against her clit and let out a ragged sigh through his teeth. He schooled himself desperate to feel her come undone around him but he didn't have much resolve left.

"You are so kriffing tight," he groaned and Rey felt as the pressure mounted until she was so close it was painful. She squeezed his hands again as she felt her pleasure peek and suddenly it felt like he was everywhere. His arms pulled her down so that her chest pressed against his and he had her held so close. She could feel the friction of his length as it rubbed against her clit and she's right there ready to topple over the edge of it. That was when she felt him unleash his desire. It crashed into her in a wild torrent of desperate need and she felt his fingertips as he held her hips in place. He moved like man unrestrained and it was hard and it was deep and it was everything she needed it to be. Rey clung to him as her end hammered through her. The force around her expanded quickly, as it exploded in a rain of white starlight and her skin looked like it was glowing. The bed shuddered as she panted and Ben thrust into her hard and steady and it wasn't long before it took him too. He groaned as she whimpered, and his hips snapped straight. Not just the bed but the room around them vibrated. The fire in the fireplace wavered and flickered as a straggled cry ripped through Ben raw and unrestrained

His release was a surge of power so blinding he bit down on her flesh leaving teeth marks against her shoulder. His toes curled and his thighs contracted beneath her. She could feel his length as it twitched inside her and windows exploding open under the pressure of it. The force was unbridled as it pulsed around them, a shudder throughout the whole senate house.

Ben held Ray like that for sometime still housed within her warmth. He took pleasure in the way her body moulded against his but after a moment or two Rey was up and on her feet. Her legs wobbled as she found her balance in the wake of her pleasure. She disappeared into the bathroom to clean herself up returning to find Ben waiting for her under the covers. His long legs disappeared beneath the royal purple but the spot next to him was left vacant and waiting. Rey settled in next to him winding her arm around his torso as she nuzzled her cheek against his chest. He was warm, almost hot from his previous exertion as he wrapped his good arm around her. "So a vow of celibacy," she teased lightly.

"Never going to happen," was his response. He kissed the top of her head and let his force energy wind around her like a cat curling up against it's master. "You are…"

"Mmmm," she responded softly, and he slid down so that his head hit the pillow. She was propped against his chest, listening to the steady glorious beat of his heart when she squeezed him tight, "I don't want tomorrow to come," she muttered childishly.

"If nothing else at least we had this," he replied sadly, she couldn't bring herself to think those thoughts anymore.

"I'll fight them Ben." her voice brokered no argument, the dead seriousness in her tone a threat that warmed his heart in a way they both knew it shouldn't. Instead he just chuckled as Rey muttered a sleepy, "I love you," against his chest before being swallowed up by her exhaustion.


End file.
